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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 01790 9752
J
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
http://www.archive.org/details/standardhistoryo01wrig
A STANDARD HISTORY
OF
LORAIN COUNTY
OHIO
An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular
Attention to the Modern Era in the Com-
mercial, Industrial, Civic and Social De-
velopment. A Chronicle of the
People, with Family Lineage
and Memoirs.
G. FREDERICK WRIGHT
Sm 'IIRVISINC, EDITOR
Assisted by a Board of Adz-isory Editors
ILLUSTRATED
l-^
^/ /
VOLUME I
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
I916
,9S4138
^. T^K^Uc^'^ (}KUy€^^
INTRODUCTION
These volumes might well be called "The Centennial History of
Lorain County" for it is scarcely more than a hundred years since the
first white settlers came within its borders. It is difficult for the present
generation to imagine the conditions which surrounded the first settlers.
Then a dense, almost imiienetrable forest of trees of immense size, cov-
ered cvci'v acre of tlie territory. 'I'lu; heroism of llie families who plod-
iled tlu'ir way tliither from New Eiighmd, some on fool, some on horse-
back, and others in slowly moving carts, occupying more days in tlie
journey than it takes houi's now, is woi-tliy of all praise. The rapid
ch'aring of homesteads, and establishment of educational and religious
institutions, scarcely find a parallel anywhere else in liistoiy.
Industrially, Lorain County was slow in couung to it.s own. C!]eve-
lantl should by good rights have been at the magnificent harbor fur-
inshed by the jn-eglacial channel of Black IJiver. .Much woubl have
been saved if the Ohio Canal had crossed the watershed at the head of
Black River at Lodi, which is much lower than that at Akron. But she
has now found her own.
In these days of the suprenuicj' of railroads, the shortest line coiuiect-
ing the iron mines of the Lake Superior Region and the coal of the Pitts-
burgh district, runs through the center of the county, and Ihe growth
of her manufaetui'ing industries is already phenomenal, and its contin-
uance insured, thus affording to the farmers an unrivalled market for
all their products. Li these respects, as well as in her educational insti-
tutions, headed by Oberlin College, she is already leading the state.
The history of tins growth will comnniiul the attention of all future gen-
erations. Tts writing lias been an inspiration as well as a laboi- of love,
and it is with regret that we lay our pen down, and turn to less inspir-
ing tasks.
G. Frederick AVright.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
GEOLOGY OP THE COUNTY
The Ohio Shale in Ijorain County — The Waverly Sandstone — Marks
or the Glacial Period in the Cuunty — The Lakio Ridges — Soils —
Elevations in the County— Natural Gas and Oil 1
CHAPTER II
BOTANY OF THE COUNTY
By Mary E. Day
The Trees— The Shrubs— The Wild Flowers- The Ferns — The
Grasses — Flora of the County — A Unique Bog — Collectors op
Plant Life 13
CHAPTER in
ANIMAL LIFE OF THE COUNTY
By Prof. Lynds Jones
Native and Migratory Birds — Changes in Varieiies — Water Birds —
Songsters — LIammals of Lorain County — Prehistoric Remains —
Fishes of the County — Amphibians — Reptiles — Insects 20
CHAPTER IV
LEADING TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Great Historic Waterways — French Scheme op Colonization —
French Northwest Territory — Fornfally Claim Lousiana — Eno-
CONTENTS
Lisii Serve Notice of Possession — Fikst Ohio Company and Agent
Gist — Geokge Crogiian — In tue Land of the Dei^a wares — French
AND English Clash — The DeluV wares Move Westwardly — The
Ottawas and the Wyandots of the Lake Erik IIeoion — J3ou-
quet's Expedition — Shawnkes Last to Surrender — A Northwest
Territory Assured — Lifting of the Indian and State Titles — •
Lord Dunmore's Squatters — American System of Land Surveys
— Public Lands— Congress Lands — Connecticut Western Re-
serve — Fire Lands — United States Military Lands — Virginia
Military Lands — Ohio Company's Purchase — The Germ of Ohio
— Donation Tract — Symmes Purchase — Refugee Tract — French
Tract — Canal Lands — School Lands — Other Public Tracts. . .27
chapter v
daavn of civil government
The Ordinance of 1787 — Ohio-Michigan Boundary Finally Fixed —
First Surveys of Western Lands — How the Reserve Became
National Territory — ]\Iilitary and Civil Friction — First Judi-
ciary — Indians at "Last Subdued 49
CHAPTER VI
SECURE UNDER THE LAWS
How the Reserve Was Sold — Acreage op the Reserve — Judge Par-
sons, Pioneer Land Buyer — Washington County (1796) Claimed
Jurisdiction — In the Country of Canahogue — ^Wayne County
(1796) — Jefferson County (1797) — Lawless But in Name —
Trumbull County (1800) Recognized — Period of Civil Complica-
tion 55
CHAPTER VII
COUNTY SURVEYED AND ORGANIZED
The Treaty of Fort Industry (1805) — ^Western Lands Surveyed —
Surplus Lands of Lorain County — Equalizing Land Values —
Four Townships Considered Most Valuable — The Land Duaw-
CONTIONTS vii
]N(JS — DHAWINCJ TlllC 'J'oWNSllIl'S— 'J'kOSTJOIOS UK TlllO IflOSKUVK — ClVMi
Jurisdiction fhom 1807 to 1811 — Adjustment of County Bound-
AHIKH — J'']XING TllK NoRTIIKUN InTWCNATIONAI. JJoUNDAltY — IOly's
Jnducemknts Foit Count y-Skat Location — Ijocatkd at J'^fyYiuA —
— FiiisT Courthouse and Jail — Civil OitGANizAxioN — First Com-
missioners' ]\Ieeting — First Official, Document — Judicial
IMaciiinkry in Motion — Original Organization of the Town-
ships 62
CHAPTER VIII
PIONEER SETTLEMENT
Indians Adopt First White Settler — Disgraced by Getting Lost in
the Woods — Starts for the Buvck River — -Reaches the Lake —
Join Wyandots on the Site of Lorain — The Camp at Elyria —
Replenishing the Common Larder — Fur-Hunting Expeditions —
Return to Civilization — ^Moravian ('of/iny Attempts to Settler-
Would Rkti.'kn to Ruined .MusKiN(iUM Villagics — I-'oun'd Pilgeruh
(Pilgrlm's Rest) — Ahandon 1'lan of Keturx to the .Muskingum
— Ordered to Move On — Three Days in Lorain County — Final
Return to the ]\Iuskingum — David Zeisberger, AVould-He Settler
— Settlements from 18(^7 to 18P2 — A War Scare op 1812 —
Eastern Shipbuilders Driven Wi«t — Lorain's Early Ship-Build-
ing Industry — Black River Settlement Becomes Charleston
Village — Hearse, First Public Utility — Plowing Out a River
Channel — Early' Hotels — Charleston's Lean Years — Scent op
the Coming Iron Horse — First Colony of Permanent Settlers —
Columbia Township Organized— Pioneer Settlers of Ridgeville
— Ridgeville Township Organized — Eaton Township Settled —
Civil Organization — The Beebes and Perrvs of Black River —
Other Pioneers — Black River Township Organized — -Founding
of Lorain City — Early Settlers of Amherst Township — Josiah
Harris — As a Political Body — Amherst as a Village — Town-
ships Settled During the War — Pierrepont Edwards Draws Avon
Township — The Cahoon Family — Avon Township Created —
Pioneer I'''amilies Crowd into Siiefkield — SiikfI''iei,d, 1""'ii{ST Town-
ship After County Organized — Pittsfield Townshii' ];)rawn —
First Permanent Set'I'i-eus — Township Oiwianizi:i) — Village of
Elyrta Founded — The Ely Home. — The Famous Beebe Tavern —
The I'^irst Beebe HoMh>— The Bridal Trip— The Old-Time Fiur-
i CONTPLNTS
I'LAcE — Last 13eebe House, Pride of the Town — Elyria Township
Partitioned in 1816 — "Raisings" — Township and Village Sur-
veyed — Postofpice Established — Townsiiip Erected — Elyria City
OP Today — Father and Pioneers op JJrownhelm — Township
Created and Organized — Settlement of Russia Township —
Founding of Oberlin — Russia Township Organized — First Year
op Pioneering in Grafton — Township Incorporated — Village op
Grafton — Wellington's Original Owners and Settlers — Arrival
OF First Family — Township Organization — Wellington Village
— Township of Huntington — The Labories and Other Families
— Wooden Bowl Factory — Organization of the Township — Pen-
field Township Rightly Named — Coming of the Penfields — •
Fajiilies of Calvin Spencer and Others — Carlisle Township —
Pioneer Families Settle — Brighton Township — Henrietta Tov^tn-
siiip — Camden Township 74
CHAPTER IX
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
A Centennial Herald — Earlif>5T Record of Lake Shore Region — The
Smith Tr-vvels — Relics of French Adventurers — Rising op the
Lake Level — vVvon's IMysterious First Settler — Avon Through
A Hundred Years — Physical Features — Pierrepont Edwards,
Original Proprietor — Permanent Colony Arrives (1814) — •
Wilbur Cahoon Pounds First Permanent Family' — Original
Cahoon Tract — De-a.th of Wilbur Catioon — Nicholas Young —
Lewis Austin — Other Families Join Colony — Elah Park — The
Sweet Family — First Setti^er in French Lick Village — The
Stickney and Williams Families— First Events — Industries —
Religious Matters — Pioneer Schoolhouse — Holy Trinity Church
— Cheese- jMaking Abandoned — Curious IMounds Razed — Avon's
Patriotism — The Sheffield Centenniai., — Norman Day Describes
First Colonists — The Burrells Explore — Wallace, First Tem-
porary Settler — Four Settlers in Winter of 1815-16 — First
Woman and Pioneer Family — Arrival of the Day and Burrell
Families — Captain Smith and Family — Other Burrei.ls Come —
Churches Organize — First Events — Township Organization —
Death of Captain Smith — Other Members of the Family — De-
cease op Pionhusrs — Historic Contributions from Miss May Day —
Building the Saw-Mill on French Creek — Grist and Saw-IMill
CONTJOiNTS ix
— OtIIKII ]\riIJ,S — ]iniCK IIOUSHS — SlCTTLINQ IN A DuCK PoND — TllE
IJUUUKl.LS AND IIliCOCKS TuiC llo(JT 1<\VM1LY — Tllli DaY.S — ItEMS
About 1'ionkkks (JicNKiUi-hY — Two UNsucuKssKuii Inhtitu'I'kjnh —
Siiu' BuiLUEKS and Lake Cai-tains — Gold Hunters of 184!)-50 —
Judge AVilliam Day, Active Land Agent — The Parks Families
— SlIEfFIELD IN THE CiVIL WaR I\IlLTON GaHFIELD SHEFFIELD 's
History, 18G5-1915 — First Railroad — De/Vth of Robbins IJurrell
— Second Railroad — Fatality to Edward Burreli^ — Woods
Leveled for Steel Pl^vnt — First Short Line Street Car — Last
OP THE Day Pioneers — First Car over the Electric — Eightieth
Anniversary of Congregational Church — Claimed as Founder of
RuiuL Free Delivery — Industrial jNIatters — Deaths of 1815-16
I'loNEERs — Golden Weddings — Old Family Relics — Famous
Natives — The German Residents — St. Theresa's Catholic
Church — Details of the Sheffield Celebration — The Absent
Ones — Historic Programme — Huntington's Home-Coming —
]\Iyron T. Herrick, Native Son — Professor F. D. Ward — The His-
toric Kelsey Band — Plans for a Centennial — The Perry Cen-
tenniaij — Local Particii-ation — The Niagara Raised from the
Lake Bottom — C«rand Welcome to the Restored Flagship — ■
Perry Relics Exhibited 127
, CHAPTER X
GENERAL COUNTY MATTERS
At First, No Educational Fund — Legal Compensation in 1803 —
Actual Land Grant in 1834 — The Western Reserve School Fund
— Progress of School Laws to 1834 — Foundation op Present
System — The Akron Law and Free Gr.4.ded Schools — Teachers'
Institutes — Pioneer Schools and Teachers — Mrs. and Mr. Bron-
SON — Schools Founded in 1810-20 — The Strut Street School,
Brow^nhelm — Pioneer Schools in Elyria and Wellington —
Russia Townsphp Schools — Huntington and Amherst — First
School in Penpield Township — Present Status op County
Education — The County Infirmary — The County Home for
Children — Superintendents and ]\Iatrons — Aim: To Provide
Permanent Homes — Buir,i)iNGS — Intellectual and Moral Train-
ing — Past and Piudsent Management — Tiho County Agricultural
Society — First Aorioulturat> Socii^yrv — Town J^^vir at Oberlin —
OnHiiN oi'' (I'ooi) Roads JMovement. — (Jountv Society Founded in
X CONTKNTS
]846 — J^^'iKST Faik — IjiocTimioiw Aim-ointko — Ladiks' IIohsk.mansiiii'
InTUODIICIOI) I'lJKK-iJltlOl) OATTIil'-y — S'l'AR I'^ARMKUS — I'^IKST I'll.KCTIOM
1 IMI'ICOVIOMIONTS <)l'' (llCOHNDH— IOa ICI.Y I 'lll'iM I II MH I )ltOl'l'KI) — I ^A'l'IOK
JIlKTOUY OF TIIK SoC'IKTy— I'ul'UI-ATION OK TlIK ('OUNTV, IH.'iU-liilO
TowNsiiii'S AND CoitrouATioNs, ]!)10, 1<)00, 1890— Klectuic Unifica-
tion IN Lorain County 170
CHAPTER XI
THE BENCH AND BAR
Grand Opening of First Territorial Court — Harrison, Later-Day
Big Buckeye — First Court in Lorain County — Grand Jury
Purely Honorary — Early Judges and Associates — Associates
Abolished— ^Old Bench 2iIoRE Democratic — Philemon Bliss — First
Probate Judge — Josiaii Harris — Two Noted President Judges —
Woolsey Welles— Delegates to the 1851 Convention— Present-
Day Courts— Common Pleas Judges, 1852-80— Stevenson Burke
— Washington W. Boynton — John C. Hale — Early Probate
Judges — William F. Lockwood — Lionel A. Sheldon — Charles H.
DooLiTTLE — John W. Steele — Laertes B. Smith — Prosecuting
Attorneys Previous to 1S80 — Joel Tiffany — John M. Vincent —
Joseph H. Dickson — Other Early Prosecuting Attorneys — Pio-
neer Lawyers, Pure and Simple — Horace D. Clark — Other Fel-
low Practitioners — A. A. Bliss — Judson D. Benedict — IMyron R.
Keith — Joshua JMyers— John V. Coon — "Foreign" Practitioners
— Accessions from 1845 to 1860 — Sylvester Bagg — Attained
Prominence Abroad — Oberlin Lawyers — John ]\I. Langston — The
Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Case — Came in the '60s and '70s —
J. C. Hill — Roswell G. Horr — Retrospect of the Earlier Bar —
Bench and Bar Since 1880 — Common Pleas and Probate Judges
— PION. David J. Nye, Veteran Active Practitioner — Hon. Clar-
ence G. Washburn — Leading Members op the Bar — The Bar Asso-
ciation — Notable Cases Within Forty Years 197
CHAPTER XII
DISTINGUISHED CHARACTERS
Dr. Norton S. Townshend — John Henry Barrows — Db. Barrows'
MoTiiEit — His Ante-Oberlin Career — Through the Eyes op
CONTENTS xi
DAUdllTER AND FaTIIIOII — CoLONKI> ClIAUMOS Wl IITTI-KSKY — JuDUi;
OiiAuiJos Cani)I';k Uai-owin— liUCY Stonk and Antoini'JTTk Huown
— (iioNKKAi; (^niNCY Adamh (U\a,m<)hf. — A MoitAh AH Wi;i,i/ ah I'atui-
(jtic IIkiio — lli)N. Mviu)N T, IIeuuick — Frank II. Hitchcock. . .228
CHAPTER XIII
MILITARY MATTERS
Contributions from Oberlin College — Company C, Seventh Ohio
Infantry — Fatalities — The Squirreu^ Hunters — Company D,
Twenty-third Regiment — Fatalities — Company K, Twenty-
third Regiment — Fatalities — Regimental History — Company II,
Forty-first Regiment — Regimental History — Forty second Ohio
Volunteer Infantry — Company E — Regimental History — The
One Hundred and Third Infantry — Company F — Company II —
Regimental History — The Forty-third Infantry — The Fifty-
fourth Regiment — The German One Hundred and Seventh —
Other Infantry Bodies — Battery B, Light Artillery — Fif-
teenth Ohio Independent Battery — Second Regiment, Ohio Vol-
unteer Cavalry — The Twelfth Ohio Cavalry — Other Civil War
Organizations — Fifth Regiment, Ohio National Guard 247
CHAPTER XIV
LAND ROUTES
Great Indian Shore Trail — The Girdled and State Roads — Early
Post Routes — Canals Give Lorain the Go-By — The Old Turn-
pikes — The Stage Era — Elyria, First Railroad Center — Rail-
roads Crush Side-Wheel Steamers— The Aw^vkening op Lorain—
"When the Railroad Came" — The Great Railroad Docks — The
Ne\v York Central System — The Electric Lines— IMacadam
Roads 280
CHAPTER XV
CORPORATE LORAIN
Black River "Boom" op the '30s — Rise and Fall of Charleston —
Thk Saviors op the Town — Village ('haktkrkd as Lorain — First
xii CONTENTS
School and Police Dei'Aktment — Increase ok Population — Incor-
I'OHATION AS A ClTV — CoNSElCVlNC PHYSICAL AND JnTELLECTUAL
JJeALTII^TiIIO J'^JLTllATION PLAN'l' — TllE I'^JltK I )E1'AIITM ENT— J^AItLY
lOpUCA-nONAL I'i'EMH — J;(JUA1n'h J»')lt.S'l' IJNION SciHX»Ii — Sl'KCIAL
School Elections — Supeuintendents and Clerks — Statistics —
School Population — Present School Buildings — The Lorain
, Free Public Library — The Postoffice 288
CHAPTER XVI
COM]\IERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LORAIN
The Black River STii.\MuoAT iVssociATiuN — Era of Wooden Ship-
Building — The Fishing Industry — Pioneer and Veteran Fisher-
men — Status op the Present Industry — Lorain's First Iron
Furnace — Planing ]\Iill and Stove Works — The Johnson Steel
]\IiLLS — First Great Plant Located at Lorain — Founding op South
Lorain — South Lorain as It Is — First Work on the Johnson
Holdings — Opening of the Lorain Plant — Operations as the
Lorain Steel Company — The National Tube Company — Other
Leading Industries — Era of Steel Shipbuilding — Early Improve-
iViENTs OP River and Harbor — Development of B. & 0. Terminal —
The Harbor of the Present — The Lorain Board op Commerce —
Source op Artificial Light and Power — Telephone Service — The
Lorain Banks — The City Bank — National Bank op Commerce —
The Old Bank of Lorain — The Citizens Savings Bank Reorgan-
ized — Cleveland Trust Company, Lorain liRANCii — The Lorain
Savings & Banking Company — The Central Banking Company —
The Lorain Banking Company — The George Oroszy Banks. . .304
CHAPTER XVII
CHURCHES OF LORAIN
Oldest Existing Church — The ^Iethodists and Lot No. 205 —
"Father" Betts and the Presbyterians — The Baptists Hold
Early Services — The Presbyterians "at Home" — Methodists
OiiGANizE First Church — First Congregational Church — First
^r. E. Church — Church of Christ — St. IMary's Roman Catholic
Church — Twentieth Street Methodist Church — St. John's
CONTENTS xiii
Evangelical, First ]^ai'tist, United liiiKTiiREN and Second Con-
UIIKGATIONAL (JllURCllES — J'll'I.SCOl'AL ('llURCIlKS — DELAWARE AVIONUE
AND (jRAClO M. JO. ClIUItCHES St. JoSEI'JI'h llOMAN Ca'J'JIOLIC
CiJUKCJi — Cjiurcxi oe THE Nativity — IIungarlvn Catholic
Churches — Other South Lor^un Churches — Churches Formed
BY Colored People — The First Presbyterian Church — The First
Church oe Christ, Scientist — Jewish Synagogue — First English
Lutheran — Hungarian ReI'^ormed Church — Trinity Baptist
Church 335
CHAPTER XVIII
UPLIFTING FORCES
The Press — The Black River Commercial — The Lorain ^Monitor —
The Lorain Times-Herald — The Lorain Daily News — The Post
— Uplh-^ing Societies — Lorain's Young INIen's Christian Associa-
tion — Woman's Christian Temperance Union — The Sisterhood
OF Lorain — Social Settlement Association — Literary Clubs —
The ^Iaking op American Citizens— Musical Organizations —
Federation of Women's Societies — The Associated Charities —
St. Joseph's IIospiTAii — Lodges and Fraternities 349
CHAPTER XIX
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF ELYRIA
The Village in 1833 — The Elyria High School — First District
Schools — Board of Education Formed — Jason Canfield, First
SUI'EUINTENDENT PUBLIC IIiGH ScilOOL BuiLDING ErECTED — COM-
PLETE Curriculum Adopted — -First High School (Jraduates —
Other School Events of the '60s — Board of Education Speaks
Its i\IiND — Construction of School Buildings — Manual Training
and Technical High Schoot^ — The Social Settlement School —
IOnrollment of I'npi[,K and Teachers — The I'umlic liiiiRARV — Pro-
tection Against. Fire — Increase in IOlyria's Population — I'uhlic
Improvements — The Elyria Ciiamiier of Commerce — (.'ivk; Fm-
PROVEMENT — liEGISLATION — MUNICIPAL SANITATION AND I'UMLIC
IIkm.tii :i(iO
xiv CONTENTS
CHAPTER XX
CHURCHES, CHAJUTIES ANU I'^JiATEimiTlES
Pioneer Religious Bodies — Methodism in Elyria — The Head op the
Circuit — Becomes a Station — Permanent iCiiurch Building — "
New Parsonage — Pastors Who Have Served — Building of the
1'resent House op Worship — Present Status op the Church —
The Presbyterian Church — First Congregational Church — The
First Baptist Church — St. Andrew's Episcopal Church — St.
IMary's Church and Parish — First Resident Catholic Pastor —
Death of Rev. F. A. Sullivan — Long Pastorate op Rev. Louis
IMoLON — Lesson Given to a Future Pastor — Death of Father
Schafpield — St. Agnes Parish Formed — St. John's German
Lutheran Church — Other Churches — Elyria jNIemorial Hospi-
tal — Grounds and Buildings — The W. N. Gates. Hospital — Past,
Present and Future of the Hospital — Its Founding Described
by the Chamber op Commerce — The Young ]\Ien's Christian As-
sociation — The Young Women's Christian Association — The
Masons and Their Temple— The IMasonic Temple Company —
Other Fraternities 374
CHAPTER XXI
NEWSPAPERS, INDUSTRIES AND BANKS
Newspaper and Railroad Parallei. — The Lorain Gazette — Ohio
Atlas and Elyrlv Advertiser — The Elyria Courier — The Inde-
pendent Democrat — George G. Washburn — The Elyria Repub-
lican — The Daily Tele(;ram — The Elyria Democrat — The
Lorain Constitutionalist — Frederick S. Reefy — The Elyria
Chronicle — Elyria 's Manufactories — The Southwestern Trac-
tion Shops — Primitive Industries — The Topliff & Ely Plant —
Western Automatic IMachine Screw Company — Elyria Canning
Company — The Garford Manupacturing Comi'any — The Willys-
OVKin-AND — COLI'MIUA StKKI, CoMPANY — I'iLYIilA TliON & StKKL COM-
PANY — TROXKFi Manufacturing Company- — The Amekican Lace
Manufactuiuxg Company — Elyria Foundry Company — The
Perry-Fay Company — Wortihngton Company and Machine Parts
Company— Other Industries — Elyria Gas & Electric Light
CONTENTS XV
Company— TiiK NationaI; Bank ok Ei-yuia— Tiik Savings Dki'osit
ItANK— Tlir, lOl.VlilA SAVINdS & UaNKINO CoMI'ANV- 'I'iIK liOltAlN
(.'oUNTY 15 \NKIN(1 (!oMI'ANY '^'^^
CHAPTER XXII
OBERLIN AS AN INSPIRATION
The College a :Modern University— College and Town Pounded To-
gether— Rev. John J. Shipherd and Philo P. Stewart- The
IIiST(jRic Elm— Peter P. Pease, First of the Colonists— Erection
of Oherlin and Ladies' Halls— First Congregational Church
Founded — The Pig Tent and Cincinnati IIali. — Rev. Asa .AIahan,
First President— The College in 1845— President Finney and
THE ^Memorial Ciiapei. — Consolidation of Library Associations —
Oderlin Students' IMonthly— Presidents Faircihld, Ballantine
AND Barrows— The ^Memorial Arch— President Henry C. King
The Great Endowment Funds — Other Buildings of the Col-
lege Plant— Carnegie Liijuary— The Olney Art Collection-
Warner, Sturges and Peters Halls— Rice ]\Iemorial Hali^-New
Administration I^uilding— The ^NIen's Building— The Academy
Buildings— AVarneu and Women's Gymnasiums— Outdoor Sports
AND Exercise — Laboratories and Museums — Dormitories for
Women — The Faculty — College Administration — INIusical and
Literary Advantages— The Student Body— Graduate Fellow-
ships—The College Enrolment— Churches of Oherlin— The
First Congregational Church— Christ Protestant Episcopal,
Church— First Baptist Church- First M. E. Church— The Rust
M. E. Church— Church of the Sacred Heart— ^Mount Zion Bap-
tist Church — The Oherlin ]\Iissionary Home Association — The
Oberlin Hospitai.— Westwood Cemetery— Social, Literary and
Benevolent Organizations— Village Improvement and Social
Betterment — The Oberlin Grand Army op the Republic 420
CHAPTER XXIII
THE VILLAGE AND ITS INSTITUTIONS
Incorporated in 1846— Its Schools— Oberlin Business College-
Water WoiiKs AND Fire Protection— Gas and Electricity^— First
xvi CONTENTS
Newspapers, College Publications — The Biuliotiieca Sacha — Tuis
Jj()i£AiN (JoiiN'i'Y News — Tiik Ticiuune — Cukken')' (Jolleue Phhlica-
TIONH — OllEULIN lioAUl) OK CoMMKIU;!; -'I'lIK OnKllLIN IUnKIN<J (JOM-
PANY — TilE SaVINU.S J5ANK COMPANY — TllE PEOPLES JiANKINQ
Company — The Chadwick P^rauds In Oberlin — Carnegie to the
Rescue — Village Items of the Early Days 494
CHAPTER XXIV
VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON
How Wellington Was Named — Uneventful Twenty Years — The
Academy — Progress of the Public Schools — Incorporation op
Wellington Village — Public Improvements — Wellington Water-
works — The Herrick Library — Wellington Churches — The
First Congregational Church — The Methodist Episcopal Church
— The Wellington Church of Christ — The Baptist Church — The
Catholic Mission — Tpie Wellington Enterprise — The First Wel-
lington Bank — Big Robbery — Old-Time Dairy Interests — Home
OP the Horrs — Wellington as It Is 510
CHAPTER XXV
VILLAGE OF AMHERST
Village Pounded — First Quarries Opened — Growth and Consolida-
tion — The Cleveland Stone Company — The Ohio Quarries Com-
pany — The Union School — Superintendents — The Town Hall
— Public Institutions — The Public Library — The Chamber op
Commerce — Water and Sewage Systems — Good Streets and Side-
walks — Other Signs of Progress — The Churches — IMethodism —
South Amherst Churches — Amherst Congregational Church —
St. Peter 's -Evangelical Church — St. Paul's Lutheran Church
— St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church — Salem Church (Evan-
gelical Association) — Episcopal Mission — Lodges — Industries
and Banks — Nicwspapers 531
INDEX
Acndc'iiiy RiiiUlinpia, Oborliii Collpgo, 448
AcaiU'iny, Tlie, 511
Adair, V., G74
Adams, Charles F., 728
Adams, R. C, 901
Adams, William ^^., C92
Administration Building, Oberlin College,
44G
Akron law and free graded schools, 173
Albright, Charles, 1051
Aldricli, W. Scott, 888
Allen, K. F., 652
Allen, P. C, 51
Allen, Tearl (Smith), (portrait), 58C
Allison, Thomas B., 721
American Lace Manufacturing Company,
414
American Shipbuilding Plant at Lorain
(view), 322
American Stove Company, 318
American system of land surveys, 35
Amherst as a village, 99; founded, 531;
industries, 533; growth and consolidu-
tion, 534; public institutions, 537;
water systems, 540; churclies, 542;
banks, 553; industries and banks,
553; fraternities, 553; newspapers,
554
Amherst Congregational Church, 547
"Amherst Free Press," 554
Amherst Hospital, 9G3
Amherst Public Library, 538
Amherst Town ITall, 537
Amherst Town Hall (view), 538
Amherst Union School, 536
"Amherst Weekly News," 554
Amherst township organized, 73; early
settlers, 97; incorporated, 99; lirst
ollicers, 99; schools, 175
Anderson, Robert O., 678
Andress, George 11., 956
Andress, Henry. M., 844
Andrews, F. K., 906
Amirews, S. J., 217
A Preghicial fiorge (view), 5
Aniohl, Herbert 10., 1012
Arteinas Heche 'I'liverti, IH20 (view), 657
Artil'u'ial light and power, 331
Artress, 'I'humas II., 001
Aschenbiich, ('. C, >.)<.)5
Associated Charities, 357
Anlt, Stanley A., 711
Austin, Lewis, 101, 134
Avery, Floyd G., 877
Avery, William E., 876
Avon townsliip organized, 73; settled,
100; created, 101; celebration, 131;
l)hysical features, 131; mysterious
, lirst settler, 131; first settlers, 131;
first events, 136; industries, 137; tirst
religious service, 137; j)ioneer school-
house, 138
Awakening of Lorain, 284
Babcock, Allison IL, 587
Bacon, Aaron L., 899
Bacon, Lida M., 900
Bagg, Sylvester, 220
Baldwin, Charles C, 238
Baldwin Cottage (view), 451
]5allantine, William G., 435
Bank of Lorain, 332
Banks, 332, 416, 503, 527, 553
Banning, L. V., 919
Ba|)tist Cluu-cli, ^Vellington, 520
liajitisls, 337, 382, 526
Barnes, Lewis, 994
Barrows, John IL, 230, 437
Bartholomew, J. W., 961
Bassett, Henry, 635
Bassett, Miles S., 1039
Battery B, Light Artillery, 272
Uattle of Lake Erie, 165
Beck, Henry A., 770
Beckley, Harley 0., 1003
Bedortlia, Lutlier, 151
Beebe, Artemas, I, 650
Beebe, Artenuis, II, 658
Beche, Artemas, III, 059
Beel>e, David, Sr., 92
Beebe, Pamelia, 658
Beebes and Perrys of Black River, 94
Beebe home, first, 106
Beebe tavern, 105, 057
Behnke, C. J., 959
lielden. Homer B., 887
lieiieh and liar, 197; since 1880, 226
Benedict, .ludson I)., 318
Beniiingtcin Atalanta, 941
llennington, 'I'lioiuas I!., 940
lletts "I'ather," 336
xviii INDKX
liihliothoca Sacra Coiiipaiiy, 001 liutlcr, Hii'haid, ;!5
"liii' Huckuyc," I'JH IJiittfiibciiili-r, ( liarlcs II., 910
lii^'''i<il.l..Ty, 5;J7
jjjj, '1 ,.|it, Kid CaliODii )iiiiiily, 101, l.'ll
Jiilliii(,'H, I'laiik C, sad CalKHMi, ll<ira<.' .)., i:il, 707
liiiirliower, JosL'pli, 77'J Caliooii, WilOiir, 101, llta
Uirils :;0 CVIkjou, Williaiii K., 710
liivin' Claude B., 719 Caley, l)anii-l, 151
Black River "boom" of the ISO's, 288 Calkins, J. II., 10:iO
Black Kiver Commercial, 340 Camden Lake, IH
Black Uiver settlement, 88 Camilen towri»lii|) organized, 7;i, 123;
Black Kiver Steamboat Association, 87, pioneers, 124
304 Cameron, JO., 70,'J
Black River townslii]) organized, 73, 9.') Campbell, H. A., 998
Blakeslee's Old INlill, Carlisle township Canals t;ive Lorain the go-by, 282
(view), 120 Canlield, .lason, 303
Bliss A. A. 218 Carlisle township organized, 73, 119;
Bliss,' I'liilei'aon, 201 'pioneers, 119
Board of education, I'.lvriu, 302 Carnegie Library (view), 440
Boise, L. S., 900 " Carnegie Library, Obcrlin College, 441
]?orn,'jolin D., 941 Carpenter, K|iliraini K., 705
Botany of Lorain County, 13 Carpenter, Lavma C, 700
Boundaries, 07 Carter, John, 151
BoiKpict, Colonel, 33; expedition, 33 Casscll, (Jcorge C, 972
Bo.x, (ie(jr"e 11. 805 Catholic Mission, Wellington, 520
Boyiiton, A. J., '578 Catholics, 340, 383, 520
Boynton, Patrick IL, 577 Celoron, 29
Boyiitoii, Washington W., 207, 572 Centennial celebrations, 126
Bradhv, V. V.., 040 "Centennial Herald," 127
liraman' ( harles M., 044 Centennial Log Cabin, ICIyria (view), 128
Braman,' William A.', 043 Central Baking Company, 333
Brandt, Fred C, 994 Cbadwuk Frauds, .-,04
Branson, Alan R., 781 Chamberlam, (Icorge IL, 037
Braun l'"d H. 1043 Cliamberlain, Wells A., 1035
]{ri'ghton township organized, 73, 120 Chamber of Commerce, Amherst, 539
Jirwiks, Walter K., 1017 Chapiii, Roswell, 933
Brown, Antoinette, 240 Chapman, Erie D., 623
Brown, M. G., 1034 Chapman Family, 618
Brownhelm quarry, 533 Chapman, Harlan P., 622 , ^ „ ,
Brownhelm township organized, 73; Charleston village, 88; rise and fall of,
created, 111; idoneers, 110 290
Briiiik Machine and Forging Companv, Chillicothe Land District, 3 <
■jj^ Christ Protestant lOpiscojjal Church, 465
Brunk, Philip, 714 Chronicle Printing Co., The, 781
Brush, Mario H., 649 ^ '"'''' °! >./"•'". \vu- . .or
Brush, Lafayette, 648 ^ '"'■•^' ' ^[ <^ "'^^t- ^^ ';''"'Kton, 525
Buehs, Peter, 935 H '"'' ' °! m ''' 3'"''^'V A'' t n. r ^7,
Buell (ieor"e L 692 Church ol the Sacred Heart, Oberlin, 471
Building of "the ii'rst steamboats, 304 Churches, 150, 159, 335, 374, 402, 510,
Burgett. Lawrence A., 880 542, 545 , ,,
Buri'ctt, LeRov P., 1021 Churches formed by colored people, 340
Burke, Stevenson, 206 Cincinnati Hall, 426
Burrell, Kdward, 155 Cincinnati Land District, 38
Bnrrell, Libert J., 589 Ciiiniger, Albert W., 588
Burrell Isaac, 140, 149 Citizens (!as and Electric Light Coin-
Bnrrcir, .Maha'la, 590 I''"'}'. '•^'■^^
ISurrelJ, .laliez, 140, 149 (!itizeiis Savings Bank, 333
liiirrell, .lames, 149 City Bank Company, 332
Burrell, U(d)biiis, 154 Civil govcnuncnt, 27, 49
Iturrell, Soleii, 152 t'ivil jurisdiction from 1807 to 1811, 00
Biirsley, (Jeorge F., 1005 Civil organization, 72
Biisv i)av on West Main Street (view). Civil war, 2 17
,r,;j() ■ Civil war siddiers, 153
INDEX
XIX
fliiik, lloiiuo IX, 31 (J
<'liiik, l,ctiimi(l, i:il
ClinU, I'rrkiiiH K., HIO
CIciMctit, lOriicHt I'., 7(18
(.'Icvcliiiiil, (ii'ii. iMoHC'H, 58
CIcvcIiukI Stone Oiiii|iiiiiy, 535
Cleveland, SontliweHtcrii & Columbus
Traction Company, 411
Ck'vehuul Trust Company, 333
ClifTonl, L. F., 1038
Cole, Stephen M., 848
College townships, 48
Collefjiate Institute, 184
Colsou, Frederick W., 782
Columbia Steel Company, The, 413, 817
Columbia townshi]) oiganized, 73, 91
Comings, William R., 722
Common pleas judges, 20G
Company C, Seventh Ohio Infantry, 249
fatalities, 250
Comjiany D, Twenty-third regiment, 253
fatalities, 253
CorTijianv K, Twenty-tliird regiment, 253
fatalities, 253
Conijiany 11, I'^orty-fiist regiment, 255
Congiegationa lists, 380
Congress Lands, 30
Connecticut Land Conii)any, 57
Connecticut Western Reserve, 3C, 40
Consolidation of Library Associations
Oberlin College, 431
Constitutioiuil convention of 1851, 204
Conway, Thomas A., 800
Cook, Lester C, 957
Cook, Minnie M., 057
Coon, .lolin v., 319
Corts, .lohu L., 900
Co\intry of Canahogue, 58
County Board of ICducation, 170
County boundaiies, adjustment of, 07
County Inlinnary, 177
County-seat location, 09
Courts, 198
Cowley, .Tohn, 808
Crehorc, Charles J., 889
(Vehore, Ceorge, Sr., 151
Ci-isp, Ernest J., 005
Cris]), George E., 003
Crisp, Mary L., 004
Crisp, William, 704
Crittciulen, William, 113 ^
Croghan, George, 30
Crooks, Sumner G., 031
fVosse, Franklin P., 734
Ciiddeback, Mrs. O. L., 154
f'uiidiis mounds razed, 139
Current College |iul)lications, 503
Cushing, Charles F., 871
("usliing, Charles H., 873
Cutler, Dr. Manassch, 49
"Daily Telegram," 408
Daugiiertv, iM'ed A., 1011
Daugherty, TIenry R., 903
Davidson^ Andrew, 931
Davidson, Andrew W., 074
Davidson, .lolin K., H98
Davidson, Samuel, 570
Da vies, D. W., GOG
Davies, Walter A., 902
Davis, L. T., 857
Davis, Noah, 133
Day, Cornelia, 150
Day, Hubert, 709
Day, John, 140, 150
Day, I\rary E., 13
Day, iLiud A., 504
Day, May, 140
Day, Norman, 140
Dav, Sumner B., 502
Day, William, 153
Decker, David, 953
de la Galissoniere, Marquis, 39
Delaware Avenue ^Methodist Episcopal
Church, 344
Delawares move westwardly, 32
Delia &. Galli, 749
Delia, Angelo, 748
Dellifield, George, 939
Deiin, Fred E., 815
D'Iberville, U., 28
Dickson, Joseph IL, 215
Dimick, C. J., 992
Dinichthys Terelli, 2
Disbrow, M. L., Sr., 1000
Distinguished characters, 228
]:)onation Tract, 30
Diuiglas, Edward A., 592
Dudley, Carl H., 829
Dudley, Jcdin B., 920
DulT, Captain, 151
Dunmore, r.,ord, 33; squatters, 35
Dunn, Oscar G., 736
Durand, Bert 0., 007
Ivuly, Henry J., 575
Earliest record of Lake Shore Region,
127
]':arly hotels, 89
I'^arly judges, 200
Early mills, 93
Early post routes, 281
Eaton township organized, 73; early set-
tlers, 93; settled, 93
Edwards, Charles P., 001
Edwards, James L., 1021
Edwards, Pierrepont, 100
Eightieth anniveisary of Sheffield Con-
gregational Church, 150
Eldred, Dewitt, 810
Electric lines, 387
Electric uniruation in Lorain County,
191
Ely, iremnn, 09, 104, 035
Ely, lleman, .Ir., (i38
ICIy, llcnian (portrait) 90
XX INDEX
Kly Home, 105 First Agricultural Society, 184
Elyriii, county sent at, 71; founded, 104; First Baptist Churcli, :!42, ;{8a
laid out, lOr); [lioiiccr vilhigiTH, lOH; ]''irHt liaptist Cluirtli, ()l)orlin, 470
Hurvcyed', lO'J; first lot sold, 109; post- I'irst J!ccl)c home, 100
olliee estahlished, lO'J; city of today. First Cluircli of C'lirist, Hcientist, 347
110; lirst school, 175; first railroad First colony of permanent settlers, 00
center, 38:!; incorporated, 300; in First commissioners' meeting, 72
1833, SCO; schools, 3G1; school events First Congregational Church, Elyria, 380
of tlie 'OOs, 304; lire deiiartment, 3G8; First Congregational Cliurcli of Lorain,
population, 3GS; public im|)rovements, 336
300; churches, 374; hospitals, 301; First Congregational Church, Oherlin,
newspapers, 404; industries, 410, 426; (view) 463
banks 410 First Congregational Church, Wellington,
Elyria Business College, The, 599 516
Elyria Canning Company, 412 First county fair, 185
]-;iyria Chamber of Commerce, 309 First courthouse and jail, 71
'MO'lyi'i"' Chronicle," 410, 781 First court in Lorain county, 199
"Elyria Courier," 400 First F:nglish Evangelical Lutheran
"F:iyria Democrat," 409 Church, 347
FZlyria F'oundry Company, 415 First federal cens\is of Lorain County,
F^lVria (ias & IClectric Light Company, 189
4](i I'irst Frame House in Elyria (view),
Elyria iligii School, 301 :i01
lOiyria Iron it Sleil Company, 414 l''irHt Crowth l''orest Tree (view), 14
lOlyria MiMiiorial Hospital, 391, 050; First judiciary, 54
(view) 392 l''irst mail in the Western Reserve, 281
Flyria Public Library, 307, 738 l''irst Methodist Episcopal Church,
"fflyria Kepublican," 407 Lorain, 339
I'.lyrin Savings & Banking Company, First Methodist Episcopal Church, Ober-
41() liii, 470
F;iyria township organized, 73; settled. First Methodist iiarsonage on the West-
104; partitioned, 107; surveyed, 109; <'rn Keserve, 375
erected 110 l''irst National Bank of Wellington, 527
Emanuel 'Evangelical Church, 335 I'li^t Ohio Com|)any, 30
English Lutheran Chinch, 347 I'^iist I'resbyterian Church, 340
lOngiish serve notice of possession, 29 First probate judge, 202
Episcopal Mission, Amherst, 553 First settler in French Creek Village,
Episcopalians, 343, 303, 553 135
E(pializing land values, 64 First territorial court, 198
Era of wooden ship-building, 305 Fisher, Lewis, 984
lOvans, Alfred B., 999 Fisher, Orscmus L., 985
ICverson, Isaac, 759 Fishermen, 310
Everson, Mary, 760 I'ishes of Lorain County, 23
Fishing industry, Lorain, 308
Fairehild, James II., 432 Flora of Lorain County, 18
Fair grounds, 188 Folger, Thomas, 046
Famous Beebe tavern, 105, 057 Ford, Jesse E., 1031
I'ainous law cases, 222 Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
"Father" Belts, 330 I'o'o
Fimver, Frank U., 828 Forty-third Infantry, 207
Fe<leration or' Women's Societies, 357 Founder of Rural Free Dcdivery, 156
Ferris, W'oodbridge N., 51 Fraternities, 400, 489, 528, 553
Fili(dd, Henry O., 1022 French Cr.'.'k Village, 135
Fifteenth Ohio Independent Battery, 274 ImciicIi (iiant, 30, 45
I'lfth regiiiient, Ohio National Onard, I'rencli Northwest Territory, 28
;)7j< " l''rencli sclu'iiie of c<doni/.ution, 28
l''irt\'-fi)urlh rei'iment, 269 l'"rencli took formal possession of Louisi-
FiUiation plant? Lorain, 292 mm, 29
Finkel, C. C, 970 Friday & Thomas, 097
Finney, Charles (',.. 431 l''riday, Carl (1., 097
Finney IMemorial Chapel, 432 Fulton, .lohn, 50
I'iie liimls, 30, 41, 03 iMir Imnling expeditions, 78
INDEX
XXI
(Jalli, Caesar A., 749
(JaiiiiL't, S. S., 51
OiirliL'ld, -Milton, 153
(Jiuford, Arthur L., 579
Garford Manufacturing Company, 412
Can .s[irinf,'H, 11
General View of South Lorain Steel
Mills (view) 319
Geologic Map of Ohio, 1
Geology of Lorain County, 1
George, S. Jesse, 730
George Oroszy Banks, 334
German residents, 159
Geukes, Henry W., 921
Gibbs, Earl X., 923
Gibson, L. D., 893 ,
Gillmore, Edmund, 726
(iillniorc, Jlaj.-Gen., Quincy A., 241, 725
(iillinore, Quincy A., 728
(iii-dh'd and Ht;ite roads, 281
Gist, Clnistiipher, 30
Glacial jieriod, 5
Cilattstciii, Adolph, 85G
fJlew, Artliur T., 781
GMadcMhuttcn, 79
(;.)ld hunters of 1849-50, 152
Golden weddings, 158
(!()od Koads Movement, 184
Goss, Clair 0., 053
Gow, Tiicddore C, 700
Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, 344
Grafton, 1 14
(iraftun township organized, 73; pio-
neers, 113
(irand Arniv of the Reimblic at Oberlin.
4;)1
Grand weleome to the restored flagship,
lf)(l
Great historic waterways, 28
Great Indian Slinre Trail, 280
(ireat railroad docks, 280
(Ireer, Hugh D.. 75(5
(ireen, William, 1007
(iregg, Frank U.. 915
Grills. Albert T., 949
firills, Wesley L., 070
(Junn, U. 1). 'a., 855
Ifaag, Anna :\r., 919
Haag, .lohn .1., 918
Hacker, Henry, 948
Hadawav Hrothers, 811
Hadaway, George IT., 811
Hadiiwax', Lf)uis, 7tsG
Ihigeiniin, Albert ^'.. 071
Ibihii, Ceoigi' A., OTiO
Ihiist, I'rederick, 922
Hale, Alfred !■;.. 855
Hale, .John ('., 209
Hall, Kre.l L., 8 15
Hall, Hugh f-., 95-1
lllMllilloll. W'illilMII II., 591
lliniiliii, l.nr.ii/o I)., 757
Ilaning, E. C, 1051
llannaford, Florence II., 5G9
Harris, Josiah, 98, 202
Harris, .Judge Josiah (portrait), 98
Harris, William, 50
Harrison, Melvin F., 765
Hart, G. A., 975
Hasenflue, Charles J., 945
Haserodt, John F., 715
Haserodt, Oscar P., 717
Haserodt, Otto E., 716
Hathaway, R, 933
Hawley, Cyrus W., 1039
Heckewelder, John, 81, 280
Hecock, Davis, 149
Hecock, Erastus, 149
Hecock, Harry J., 843
Heldmyer, William, 568
Henderson, John T., 802
lleM<lricks, Maurice K., 850
Henrietta Township organized, 73, 122;
first settlement, 123; pioneers, 123
Herrick Public Library, 514
Herriek, .Myron T., 163, 245
Hewitt, James A., 787
Hill, J. C, 224, 732
Hinkson, Harry, 754
lliseo.x, William A., 679
Hisloiic conti'ibutions on Shclfield town-
ship, 146
Historic I'lm, Oberlin, 423; (view) 424
Historic Shellield program, 101
Hitchcock, Frank IT., 246
Hitchcock, Henry H., 951
Ibdlingsworth, George W., 1003
Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 138
Horn, Conrad A., 803
Horr, Poland A., 529
Horr, Roswell 0., 225
Horr, Roswell P., 529
Horsley, James T., 636
Hospitals, 358, 391
Houir, Joseph M., 696
Houghton, John W., 519, 1012
How the Reserve became national terri-
tory. 52
How the Reserve was sold, 55
Howk, L. E., 898
Hubbard, F. I., 892
Hughes, William L., 878
Hume, Thomas J., 082
Hungarian (Catholic (^hiirches, 345
Hungarian Reformed Church, 347
Huntington, W. P., 946
Huntington township organized, 73; in-
corporated, IKi; (irst settlers, 116;
early industries, 117; organized, 117;
scIkJoIs, 175
Huntington's Centennial, 164
Huntington's home-coming, 162
Hurd. Judson N., 929
Hurst, J. Ilarrv, 792
1 1 listed. I). S., 852
XXII
INDEX
Hutchins, Thomas, 33
Ilyland, Daniel W., 088
IniprovemcntB of river and harbor, 323
"Jiiiluiic'iuJtJiit J)eiiiocrut," 40G
Inilian vvarH, 33
Indians, 31, 33; subdued, 54; adopt lirst
white settler, 75
Ingersoll, C. B., 927
Ingersoll, George W., 837
Ingersoll, Henry W., 738
Ingersoll, William, 113
Irish, Charles M., 1024
Iron industries, 311
Jackson, Alexander L., 867
Jackson, Andrew J., 974
Jackson, Calvin, 861
Jaeger, William, 1050
Jameson, Joseph B., 136
Janiieson, Charles T., 912
Jellerson County in 1797, 59
Jelley, John T., 702
Jenkins, I']arl G., 800
Jenne, A. K., 990
Jewett, Frank V., 1030
Jewisii Synagogue, 347
Jolict, 28
Johnson, John B., 846
Johnson, Kay D., 916
Johnson Steel Mills, 312
Johnston, Charles W., 216
Johnston, IClcie JI., 596
Johnston, Paul M., Sr., 746
Johnston, Paul M., Jr., 747
Johnston, Thomas, 744
Jones, Augustus, 151
Jones, Charles A., 820
Jones, Charles S., 990
Jones, Prof. Lynds, 20
Judges, 73, 198
Kaiser, John, 774
Kaiser, Louis P., 775
Keith, Myron R., 219
Kelly, Charles R., 944
Kelly, George B., 639
Kelly, James ]\L, 851
Kels'ey Band, 163
Kendeigh, Milo C, 1046
Killip, Edward T., 891
King, Frank J., 942
King, Henry 0., 438
Kingsb\iry, Josei)li, 121
Kinnison, R. II., 914
Kiinect, William II., 805
Knapp, II. Lynn, 752
Kothe, LouiH \V., 909
Krebs, W. J., 1001
I
Laboratories and inuseums, Oberlrii Col-
lege, 450
Laborie, .lohu, 110
Ladies' Hall (view), 425
Lagrange, 122
Lagrange township organized, 73, 121;
jiioneerH, 121
Lugron, Arthur P., 718
J.,ak<; captains, 151
J^akc ridges, 6
Lake Shore Electric Railroad, 156
Land drawings, 65
Land grant in 1834, 171
Land of the Delawares, 30
Land routes, 280
Langston, John M., 221
Last Beebe house, pride of the town, 107
LaSalle, 28
Lathrop, Alice W., 571
Latteman, John A., 938
Lawrence, Amos E., 879
Lawyers, 198
Lee, Artlnir, 35
Lee, Norman, 926
Leonard, Samuel S., 853
Lersch, Carl T., 742
Lersch, John, 740
Lersch, Robert B., 743
J.,ife Saving Station at Lorain (view),
310
Lifting of Indian and State titles, 34
l^ight ami power, 331
Lindsley, W. B., 999
Liteiary Clubs, 355
Little, Sarah C, 407
Lockwood, William F., 210
Lodges and fraternities, 359
Lorain, earlj' shipbuilding industry, 87;
founding of, 97; incorporated, 288;
lirst school, 291; ])olice department,
291; jjopulation, 292; incorporation as
a city, 293; water system, 292; fire
department, 294; schools, 295; first
union school, 295; frei' jjublic library,
300; commercial and industrial, 304;
first iron furnance, 311; industries,
318; banks, 332; harbor, 320; news-
jiapcrs, 349; hospitals, 35!S; lodges
and fiaternitii's, 359
Lorain Baidving Company, 334
Lorain lioiird of Comincice, .■!29
Lorain Casting Company, 318-
"Lorain Constitutionalist," 409
Loiain County surveyed, 02; organized,
02; in the Civil war, 248
Lorain County Agricultural Society, 183
Lorain County Conrtbousc, lOlyiia,
(view) 70
Loiain County Chihhi'n's Home, 179
Lorain ('oiinty Childreii'.i llonic (view),
IKO
TiOrain Connly Inlirnniry, 177
Liirain (iMiiily Inlirmniy (view), 178
"Lorain County News," 502
Lorain County Savings & Trust Com-
pany, 119
INDEX
XXIU
Lorain Ootiiity ToHcliorK' IiiHtituto, 177
Lorain I'ryMtal leu Company, ;ilH
"Lorain Daily Nowh," :i,'jl
"Lorain (!a/.rtti'," 40.')
Lorain lli;.'li Scliool (view), 299
Lorain Milliiif; Company, 'MS
"Lorain Monitor," 350
Lorain Porry Home Week, 165
Lorain Postollieo (view), 302
Lorain Savings & Banking Company, 333
Lorain Social Sottlomcnt Association,
355
Loiain Steel Company, 317
"Lorain Timcs-IIerakl," 350
Lord, Addison E., 094
Lord, Charles C, 777
Lord Cottage, 452
Lord Diinmore's Squatters, 35
Lord, William F., 784
Lovcland, Aimer, 121
Lovelan.l, William, 982
Lozier, C. K., 817
Liicas, Stuart H., 824
^Macadam roads, 287
:Malian, Asa, 427
ISlanl.y, Henry W., 1009
^Mammals of t^irain County, 23
;N[anual Training and Tcclmical Iligli
Scliool, 3GG
!Ma]i of Lorain County, C7
l^lajK's. ficorgi', fiOO
]\h\rietta Land District, 38
!Mar(iU('tte, 28
MaHonic 'I'dniile Company, 401
]\[as(>nic Temple, IClyria (view), 402
INfasons, 489, 528, 553; their temple, 400
^Tassaere at Cnadenhutten, 79
Jlavnard, Orlando T., 005
l^lcConnell, Stewart, 1008
McFad.li^n, dames A., 771
I^rcQueen, A. F., 890
McQueen, Fred B., 894
IMeek, J. A., 829
Memorial Arch (view), 436
;Memorial Arch, Oberlin College, 437
^ren<lclson, Solomon, 804
:\Iennell, Allen E., 885
iFennell Family, 884
IMennell, Jay D., 885
Menncll, Perry, 1028 *
:\ren's liuilding (view), 449
i\[en's lUiildinu', Olierlin College, 440
Metcalf, Kliab W., 1053
Metcalf, Ceorge P., 210
Metcalf, iVfaynard M., 1050
!Methodist {episcopal Church, Wellington,
519
l^lethodists, 330, 375, 519, 543
^Military matters, 247
Miller, TIenry, 778
T\liller, Xath'an, 1025
Mills, Edgar 1)., 1011
IMills, Isaac, 111
Ministeriul Lands, 48
^litchell, A. W., 1027
Monroe, Alhert, 849
^Montour, Andrew, 30
Mooney, James li., 804
Moore, Leonard M., 571
Moore, Smith W., 783
^Moravian colony, 79 •
^Moravian colony return to the Muskin-
gum, 84
Moravian Lands, 4()
^Foravian missionaries, 75
Morgan, Thomas W., 894
IMoriarty, Alma 1\., 030
:Morse, Charles L., 034
Morse, Leyi, 631
!Mosher, (leorgo A., 594
^rosher, William E., 595
Mounds, 139
Mount Zion Baptist Cliurch, 473
Murray, Charles D., 988
Murray, James A., 990
Musical Organizations, 350
!Mussey, Ifenry E., 217
■Mussey, Beuhcn, 217
]\rycrs", Josliua, 219
National Bank of C<unnu'rce, 332
National Hank of Elyria, 416
National Stove (\)m|iany, 318
National Tube Company, 317
Nash, Simeon, 1042
National Vapor Stove & Manufacturing
C<impany, 094
Native and migratory birds, 20
Natural gas, 11
Naylor, Samuel, 904
Naylor, Sarah, 905
Nelson, Thomas L., 739
New ConiU'cticut, 40
New York Central System, 286
Newspaiiers, 349, 404, 500, 520, 554
"Niagara," the raised, 106
Nichols, Allen M., 809
Nichols, Byron (i., 055
Nichols, C iiarles A., 029
Nichols, John J., 029
Nichols, W. 0., 818
Nieding, Anthony. 798
Nielsen, Hans P„ 500
Noakes, Brnjan.in T., 574
Xorthcrn internatioiuil boundary, 09
Northwest Territory, 34
Nye, David J., 220,' 557
Oberlin College, 420; the modern uni-
versity, 421; and city founded to-
gether, 422; lirst cidlege building,
425; I'niversity incoiporated, 427; in
1845, 428; objects of, 430; great en-
dowment fund, 439; buildings, 441;
laboratories and museums, 450; fae-
INDEX
ulty, 453; ndniinistration, 45G; niimi-
t':il mill liti'iary iiilviiiilagcH, iriT;
hIikIciiI l>«"ly, 'ISH; ;,'iii(linit(: follow-
Bliip, 401; (■iiiollriicnt, 4(iL
Obi'iiiii, foiiiuliiig of, 112; town fair,
184; lawyuis, 231; first colonist, 434;
cliurclies, 402; fraternities, 489; incor-
l)orat('il, 494; schools, 494; water
works system, 498; lire dejjavtnient,
498; newspajjors, 500; village items of
llie early ilays, 500
()l)erlin Ajiriiiiitliral Society, 184
ttbeiliii liaiikiiij,' Company, 50:i
Oljerliii Hoard of Commerce, 503
Obeilin Husir.css College, 490
Oberliii Federation for Village Ini|)rove-
ment and Social Betterment, 490
Oberlin f!. A. R., 491
Oberlin Ifospital Association, 480
Oljcrliii Hospital (view), 480
Oberlin Missionary Ifoiije Association,
472, 474
"Oberlin College Review," 435
"Oberlin Stndents' Monthly," 431
Oberlin-Wellington Rescue ease, 233
"Ohio Atlas and IClyria Advertiser," 405
Ohio ('anal I^ands, 40
Ohio Company, 30
Ohio Com|iany's Purchase, 30, 43
Oliio-Michi;:an boundary, 50
Ohio National Guard, 378
Ohio (Quarries Company, 530
Ohio shale, 1
Ohio \'alley, 27
Oil, 11
Old American House (view), 530
Old family relics, 158
Old Hill" and Baptist Church, The,
(view), 543
Old-time fireplace, 100
Old turnpikes, 383
Old Union School of 1857 (view), 303
Oldest Kxisting Church, 335
Olds, Emma S., 585
Ohnsted, Oeorge, 315
Olnev Art Collection, 443
One Hundred and Third Infantry, 303
One of the I'irst Frame Houses Built in
Andierst Township (vi(!w), 580
One of the Great Amherst Quarries
(view), 534
Opening of the Lorain steel plant, 317
Ordinance of 1787, 49
Original Cahoon tract, 133
Original organization of the townships,
73
Ormsby, Caleb (portrait), 532
Ormshy, "Amit Kate" (pord-ait ) , 53:i
Onis/v, Ceoi'tie, 33 1
Oros/y, George, Baid<B, 334
Other Civil war oruani/ations, 277
Othei- infantrv bodies, 372
Olteibaeher, il. ('., 002
'ark, Charles F., 931
'ark, h'-lah, 135
'ark, William C, 932
'arsch, (Miristian, 582
'arsch, ,lohn C, 583
'arsons, Charles C, 243
arsons, John G., 989
""arsons. Judge, 57
'arsons, Zavalah R., 813
'art of Plant of National Tube Com-
pany (view), 319
'aterson, John, 1023
'ay ton, Archie C, 890
•eiibody, Otis E., 1020
'ease, Seth, 02
'(dton, Floyd M., 908
'enlield, Peter, 118
'enlield, Truman, 118
'enlield township organized, 73, 119;
first settlers, 118; nanu'd, 118; first
school, 170
'enney, Fred J., 088
'eo])les Hanking Company, 504
'ermanent settlers, 90
'eriy Centennial, 105
'erry-Fay Company, 415
'erry r(d'ics exhibited, 108
'eters Hall, 440
'eters Hall (view), 445
'hipps, h",mnui, 925
•hipps, Wesley B., 924
'ierce, Clarence V.., 905
'ierce, lOlisha M., 080
'ierce, Frnest L., 903
'ilgeruh, 80
'ilgrim's Rest, 80
'ioneers, 50, 91, 95, 108, 110, 119, 132,
135, 140, 149, 151, 157
'ioneer and veteran fishermen, 310
'ioneer frame house in Lagrange
Townslii|) (view), 133
'ioneer land buyer, 57
'ioneer lawyers, 310
'ioneer schools and teachers, 173
'ioneer settlement, 74
'ii|ua Land District, 38
'ittsfield township settled, 100; drawn,
103; first permanent settlers, 103; or-
ganized, 73, 104
Plato, Albert A., 049
Planing mill and stove works, 313
I'lant life, collectors of, 19
Plocher, Alvin J., 701
P(dl(.ck. John J., 008
Pond, Channcey N., 601
l'<md, Norman M., 917
I'dliulatioii (if the eoiiMtv, 1830-1910, 189
Portion of Flyria High Scliocd (view),
I'ounds, Harry A., 753
l'ic'lii--tiiric remains, 22
I'lcparedni'ss. HO
I'resbyd'rians, 336
INDEX
Present County Jail (view), 71
I'resciit-diiy coiiita, 205
]'ieHctit Hcliool l)uil(liii{,'s, Lorain, 298
I'icscnl HtiituH of county education, 17(5
Prince, fjeorge C, 830
Profjress of scliool laws to 1834, 173
Prosecuting attorneys previous to 1880,
212
Pryco, Samuel V,, 827
Public education in the Western Re-
serve, 170
Public High School (view), 511
Public Lands, 36
Public Library Decorated for Honie-
Coming Week (view), 539
Quarries, 533
Railroads, 155, 283
Raisings, 109
Randall, Wintlirop, 153
Ranshaw, George R., 790
Rath, Thomas, 094
Rathwell, Frank S., 892
Rawson, Charles B., 822
Rawsoii Faustina B., 085
Rawson, Samuel B., 084
Reamer, Chambers D., 1053
Rcdington, Eliphalet, 90
Redington, Harry ]\L, 743
Redington, Horace G., 703
Reefy, Fva L., 841
Reefy, Frederick S., 839
Reefv, Karl P., 836
Reefv, l^hilip D., 834
Refugee Tract, 30, 45
Regimental history, 253, 255, 201, 2
Relics of French adventures, 130
Republican Printing Company,
1033
Resek, fi. Adolphus, 880
"Re|)ort('r," 554
Retrospect of the earlier bar, 235
Rice :Meniorial Hall, 440
Rice Meinoiial Hall (view), 447
Rice, Robert H., 704
Richey, I'rancis 0., 751
Richmond, Klmer A., 958
Ridgeville, 8
Ridgcville, jiioneer settlers of, 91
Ridgeville township organized, 73,
River an<l harbor inii)r(ivements, 32
Rochester township oigani/ed, 73,
first settlement, 134
Rochester, 124
Roe, William E., 799
Rogers, K. M., 895
Rogers, Ceorge, 35
Rogers, I'liiiy 11., 833
Koss, .lames', 115
Hoot, Aaron, 150
Root, i;plnMiMi, 115
Ko.it, Lyman, 93
64
The,
93
3
134;
Root, Orville, 567
Root, ^Villiam 11., 150
Uosecrans, lOdgar F., 1056
Kuggles, Ahnon, 04
Russia township organized, 73, 113;
lirst school, 114; incor|)orate(l, 114;
settlement of. 111; schools, 175
Rust, Albert F., 831
Rust, Bonnie K., 832
Rust Jlethodist Episcopal Church, 471
St. Agnes Catholic Cliurch, 390
St. Andrew's l-^piscopal Church, 383
St. Clair, Gen. Arthur, 53
Sts. Cyril and ^lethodius Church, 346
St. David's ICpiscopal Church, 343
St. John's Evangelical Church, 341
St. .John's German Lutheran Church, 390
St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Amherst,
550
St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Lorain, 550
St. Joseph's Hospital, 358
St. I>adislaus Catholic Magyar Cluuxh,
345
St. .Mary's Catholic Church, Elyria, 383
St. Mary's Catholic Church, Lorain, 340
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Amherst,
550
St. Paul's United ICvangelical Church,
391
St. Peter's Evangelical Church, Amherst,
549
St. Theresa's Catholic Church, ShefTielJ,
159
Salem CTiurch (Evangelical Association),
Amherst, 551
Sainpsell, Joel V., 767
Sampsell, Paul W., 795
Sanford, Frank A., 690
Savage, Charles H., 731
Savings ]?ank Company, 504
Savings Deposit Bank, 418
Scene in Cascade Park, Elyria (view),
9
Schaffeld, John T., 593
Schaible, Charles, 874
Schaible, John 874
Schibley, Jacob IL, 997
Schiblev, W. H., 965
School 'Lands, 46
School elections, 296
School statistics, 397
School population, Lorain, 397
Scho.ds, 173, 494, 511, 530
Schools r.nindcd in 1810-30, 174
Schwartz, h'rank K., 863
Sehwarz, Charles ('., HS3
S( Ill Hiiptist Chinch, 310
Second Congregational Church, Lorain,
313
Second Congregational Church, Elyria,
382
XXVI
INDEX
Second Coiigrcgatioiuil Cliiii-cli, Obi'ilin,
4C5
Second ISIetliodist lOpiscoiml churches,
346
Second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cav-
alry, 274
Seher, William, 704
Settlements from 1807 to 1812, 85
Seward, Dennis W., 007
Seward, James B., 682
Shaking Hands Over the Interstate
Boundary (view), 51
Sharp, William G., 807
Shaw, Stanley G., 616
Shetlield Centennial, 139, 160
SlielUeld, Joseph G., 10:i4
Sliellield Land Company, 314
Shellield townshi[) organized, 73; settled,
100; pioneers, 102; first townsliip
after county organization, 102; cele-
bration, 139; first colonists, 140; pio-
neer families, 141; ehurehes, 143, 156,
159; lirst events, 144; organization,
144; decease of pioneers, 145; historic
contributions, 146; industries, 147;
in the Civil war, 152; lirst railroad,
154; history, 1865-1915, 154; deaths
of 1815-16 pioneers, 157; industrial
matters, 157; famous natives, 158
Sheldon, Lionel A., 211
Shelley, James IL, 1044
Sherman, C. IC, 51
Slii])buildcr3, 151
Ship-building, 305, 320
Slirubs, 16
Shupe, Jacob, 97
Silie, William C, 823
Simonson, George, 970
Sisterliood of Lorain, 355
Six Nations, 27
Slab Hall (view), 427
Smalley, Charles W., 785
Smith," Burdette S., 876
Smitli, ('. ])., 817
Smith, Charles W., 863
Smith, Frank A., 789
Smith, F. A. & Brother, Company, 790
Smith, Henry F., 647
Smith, James, 75, 128
Smitli, James C, 800
Smith, Laertes B., 212, 675
Smith travels, 128
Smith, Will M., 790
Smjthe, F. A., 1050
Smythe, John J., 091
Snow, Clemon H., 686
Snyder, (ieorge N., 971
Social Settlement School, Klyria, 366
Soils, 8
Soldiers, 153, 247
Sorosis Club, 355
South Amherst Churches, 545
South Lorain, founding of, 314; of
today, 316
S])allord, Amos, 64
Spear Zoolo^'ical Laborator}', 444
Spencer liand, 103
Spencer, Calvin, 118
Sperry, E. E., 686
Spiegelberg, William H., 955
Sponseller, F. :M., 1038
Squatters, 35
Squirrel hunters, 252
Stage era, 282
Stankard, Edward J., 612
Starr, Justus M., 913
State Line Monument, 50
Status of Lorain Countv Highways
(map), 287
Steel plant, 155
Steel shipbuilding, 320
Steele, Elizabeth K., 300
Steele, John, 135
Steele, John W., 212
Stetson, Frank A., 774
Stetson, Hinaldo R., 772
SteubenviUe Land District, 39
Stevens, I'rank M., 751
Stewart, Samuel L., 677
Stiekncv, Albin, 136
Stiwald", A. E., 980
Stone Carvings by Water (view), 9
Stone, Lucy, 240
Stolzenburg, Henry, 810
Slolzenburg, William, 704
Storrs, Lemuel, 121
Straus, August, 809
Street, Titus, 111
Streeter, S, JL, 957
Strenick, James F., 883
Strickland,' Earl J., 761
Strut Street School, Brownhelm, 174
Sturj^'os Hall, 444
Summers, Charles R., 595
Snr|d\is Lands, 04
Surveys of western lands, 52
SiitlilV, Blanche, 897
Sutliir, (leor^'e M., 897
Sweet, ^Vaterman, 135
Syiumes, John Cleves, 53
Sj'inmes I'urcliaso, 30, 45
Taleott Hall, 453
Tank family, 482
■^rank Home for ^Missionary Children,
476
Tank Home for Missionary Children
(view), 473
Tappan Hall (view), 429
I'avlor, A. iMl^'eiie, 591
rcachcrs' Institutes, 173
idi'phone service, 331
Terrell, Ichabod, 92
i'he llerrick I'ublie Library (view), 514
INDEX
Tho Historic Mini (viow), 424
'I'lic "Niii^Mrii" niisi'il, I (Ki
'I'lii- Old Hill iiikI l!M|>liHl Cliuicli (view),
"Til.' I'liHt," :i.-,i
'J'licw AiituiiiatiL' Shovel Company, Tlu',
:nK. lo-i.s
Tlii'W, Kirliaril, 1057
ThoMiiis, David, 700
'I'lionias, (;ladc li., 008
Tlu.in|is(iii, William li., 723
'nilany, .loid. 2V.i
Tillin Land District, 30
Tillotson, Albert Z., 070
Tod, (ieoijie, 203.
Topliir, .lohn A., 013
Town Fair at Ohcrlin, 184
Town.seiid, Norton S., 228
Townships settled diirinj; the war, 100
Towiishi|)s, ori;anization of, 73
Transportation, 150
Trees, 13
"Tribune,'' Oberlin, 503
Trinity liaptist finnoh, 348
Tro.xei, David S., 500
Troxel Maniifaetnrinjr Company, 414
Trnmbiiil Conntv (1800) reco','ni/od, GO
Tinker, Charles K., 700
Twelfth Ohio Cavalrv, 270
Twentieth Street :\[ethodist Church, 341
Twinin^i', W. T., OS(i
Two noted president judges, 203
Unique bop;. A, IS
United Hrethrcn Church, 342
Unit.'d :\Iilitary Lands, 36
United States ".Military Lands, 42
Vandcmark, Eoy ¥., 703
View on liroad Street, Elvria (view),
370
Village of Klyria founded, 104
^'^ineent, .Tohn ^I., 215
Virginia ^Military Lands, 30, 42
W. N. Gates Hospital, 304
Wadswortb, Le07i H., 1045
Walker, Russell, 150
Wallace, Timothy, 141
Walton, Kli/abeth, 073
Walton, Ceorge P., 072 \
Walton Tee Company, 072
War scare of 1812, 80
Ward, C. W., OS!!
Ward, F. D., 103
Ward, l!<ib.rt 0., 830
Warner and Slurges Halls, 4 14
Warner .Cymnasium, 448
Winner Hall (view), 113
AVarreii, Kraidc D., 081
Warren, W. D., 005
Washburn, Clarence (i., 227, 053
Washbinii, (H'orgi' 0., 407, 500
Washington County (170G) claimed
jurisdiction in Western Kesorve, 5S
Watti'rs, Iv [■:., 00 1
WattH, Walter II., 027
Wayne Couidy in 1700, 50
Wci)ber, Amos U., 041
Webber, Lawrence IL, 042
W(d)st<'r, lOdward F., 077
"Weekly News," 554
Weidmann, .laeob, 030
W(dler, Ceorge L., 070
Welles, Woolsey, 204
Wellington, 110; fir.st school, 175; how
iianu'd, 510; schools, 511; incorporated,
512; i)ul)lic improvements, 512; water-
woiks, 512; churches, 510; newspaiiers,
520; banks, 527; fraternities, 528; old-
tinu' daily interests, 528; as it is, 530
"Wcdlington iMiterprise," 520
Wellington Public Library, 080
Wellington township organized, 73; orig-
inal owners and settlers, 114; first
family, 115; organized, 110
Wells, Addison, 842
\\'esbecher, .loseiih, 882
^Vcst, Anson O., 875
West, Edward H., 007
Western Automatic Machine Screw
Company, 412
Western lands, 52
Western lands surveyed, 03
^\'estel■ll Reserve in 1820, 40; liow sold,
55; acreage of, 57; civil complication,
GO; trustees of, 00; school fund, 172
Western Reserve Historical Society, 58
Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, 487
When the railroad came, 284
Whitney, Frank S., 1000
Whitney, ^Lark A., 078
Whitney, Otis .L, 901
Whitney, Terry C, 983
Whitney, William, 712
Wbiton, Fbenezer, 73
Whittlesey, Charles, 238
Wilcox, Calvin, 009
Wilcox, Harvey C, Oil
Wilcox, Hubbard A., 010
Wild (lowers, 17
Williams, Havid A., 1018
Williams, Larkiii, 130
Williams, Perry S., 1033
Williams, Salonas A., 1010
Williams, Seward H., 1043
Williams, William T., 900
Willis, Frank B., 51
Willys-Overland Conijiany, 413
Wilson, Charles K., 008
Wilson, (Jecnge IL, 800
Winckles, Carey T., 814
Winekles, llarvey T., 701
Winckles, Thomiis T., 003
Wisi'inan, (ieorge R., 003
Wolf, I'lvderi.'k (!., 007
XXVIll
INDEX
Wolf, ](la, 908
^Volllall's Chiistian Tt'iii]K'iiuuc Union,
.■!54
W'unicn'a ])(>rniitoiiP8, Oborlin CoIIpl'c,
451 ^ .
\V()nicn'N OyinnuHiinn, Obcrlin (IoIIcl'c,
448
Wood, ir. B., 858
Wood, If. H., farm, 858
Wood, Marshall A., 859
Wood, Rcnbcn, 204
Woodrnir, Lewis, 152
\\'ooster Land District, 39
Worcester, Erwin, 624
Worcester, Perry G., 664
Worthington Company and Machine
Parts Company, 415
Wright, C. Frederick, 1058
^\■llrnl.ser, Henry O., 660
Wiirst, Henry \V., 847
\\'uiMt, Sainiiil h;., i):i7
Vouiig Men's Cliristian Assoeiution, 353,
397
Ydiin;,' i^Ien's Christian Association
Uuilding (view), 397
Yo\mf,', Nidiohis, 101, 134
Zanesvillo Land District, 39
Zeisberger, David, 79, 84
Ziegler, Frank, 987
Zilch, Conrad, 977
/Ciniinerinan, Ixjis A., 943
Ziniinerman, Louis, 943
^PERMIAN PCNNSYLVAN AN MSSSSiP/N^ DEVON AN SILURIAN ORDOV C AN
CARBONIFEROUS
Geologic map of Ohio.
Explanations of the Formations
Tlie Permian area is barren of coal. The Pennsylvanian area contains workable
coal dejiosits. The Mississijiiiian is Siibcarboniferous and contains the conglomerate
exposures of Thompson Lcd^'es, Little Mountain and similar ones in Medina County,
and the sandstone deposits quarried at Berea, iOlyria, Grafton, Andierst, Norwalk and
Wavorly. Tlio Devonian area contains the slialo deposits cro[)pinj,' out uU along the
shore of Lake Krie, and the Corniferous limestone (jmirried at l\olloy Island, Marblo-
liead, Sandusky, ('oliindms, and intervening areas. Tlio Silurian area covers I'ut-in-
liay Island and the wiile region to th(! south famous for its oil wells. Tlu) Dtnoniaa
area in tlie midst of it, is u rcinruint left by erosion occupying tlie elevated area
about Hellcfontaine, Ij^-lO feet above tiile. The Ordovirian area luis been generally
known as I^ower Silurian and contains near its ])a.se the Trenton liniestoiK; wliicli
is tlio source of the gas and oil Inoiight to the surface in the Silurian ilistrict. The
oil and gas of lOastern Ohio is largely <lerivod from the Devonian fornuitjon. The
oldest rocks in Olii(< are the Siluiian and Oi'iloviciiin. The newer, overlying rocks
iip|i(^:ir in ri^gular order on either side.
History of Lorain County
CHAPTER I
GEOLOGY OP THE COUNTY
TiiK Ohio Shale in Lorain County — The Waverly Sandstone — ]\L\rks
OP THE Glacial Period in the County — The Lake Ridges — Soils —
Elevations in the County — Natural Gas and Oil.
The lowest rocks underlying the whole of Lorain County belong to
the Devoniiui formation whieh occupies about the middle portion of the
geological scale. They consist of soft shales with occasional thin Ijcds of
limestone.
The Ohio Shale in Loijain County
Their outcrop can be studied all along the lake shore from Avon Point
to the vicinity of Lorain ; but to better advantage in the gorges of Black
River l)elow Elyria, and of Vermilion River where it runs through Hen-
rietta and Brownhelm townships. The total tliickness of these shale
dei)Osits is several hundred feet, and tliey are evidently composed of sedi-
ment which settled upon the bottom of a deep sea, for the ])artieles are
exceedingly fine and the fossils both of plants and animals are marine.
Specimens of these shales, between Elyria and Lorain, from which an
elVort was made to nuuuifacture brick, were found by Prof. A. A. Wright
to contain, in addition to the particles of clay which form the bulk of
the deposit, from ten to twenty per cent of carl)Onaceous matter, con-
sisting in part of tlie spores of alga? such as float around in tlie Sargasso
Sea in the Allaiilic at the present time. So great was llie amount of
eai'lionaccous mattci' that the bi'ick were burned to a crisp and rendered
so nearly useless that tlieir manufacture luul to be abandoned.
'IMii'se same sludes liave a gi'eat Ihickne.ss in Weslei'ii I'enn.sylvania,
nnih'iMieath the oil sands, and tlie oil and gas of Ihal region are supposed
1
2 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
to result from the slow distillation of their carbonaceous material.
Indeed, Trofessor Newberry, before tlie tliseovery of i)etroleum, estimated
that oil could be distilled from the Ohio shale at a cost of 25 cents
a gallon, so that it is possible for us to look forward to this source of lieat
when in the distant futui'e otlier sources shall fail.
These sh.ales belong to tlie .same age as tiie Old Red Sandstone in
Scotland, in which llugii ]\Iiller discovered remains of the remarkable
jjlated iish which lie called Ttericlitliys. But fifty years ago, Prof. 0. N.
Allen of Oberlin ami Mv. J. Terrell of Sheflield found on the beach west of
Avon I'oint portions of the skeleton of a fish similar to the Pterichthys;
but it was so much larger that Professor Newberry named it Dinichthys
Terelli (^ten-ible fish), after j\Ir. Terrell, wlio later found much more
perfect specimens at Lake lireeze, three miles east of Lorain. A still
larger number of specimens wei'e found by Doctor Clark of Perea along
the outcrops of Rocky Rivei-, ami earlier, sj)ecimens of allied species had
been found by Rev. II. Ilertzer at Delaware, Ohio. The most valualile
specimens have been taken away from the state. Harvard ami Columbia
universities each paid $1,2U() for nearly i)erfect specimens, while Mr.
Woodward of the British Museum obtained the whole collection of Doctor
Clark in lierca and took them over to London, where they are displayed
in most ell'ective manner on the walls of tlic Devonian I'oom in the
British Museum. But Oberlin Colle<,'e was able to I'etain a goodly
iunui)er of separate jiortions of this remarkable fish, the sight of which
will well repay a pilgriiiuige to that town.
One of the most interesting specimens taken to the British IMuseum
was the imj)i-ess of a shark's skeleton with the 1)0iies and scales of a
small fish in the pit of the shark's stomacli where the monster had pi'C-
.served it to tell its strange tale. Prof. A. AVright and E. AV. Claypole
on examination determined that this little fish belonged to a species of
which no other specimen had eome to light. On a recent visit to the
British Museum 1 asked Professor Woodward about this specimen. In
answer he promj)tly took me to the place where it was exhibited upon
the walls. Lorain County visitors to London will find it worth while to
study this collection of Lorain and Cuyahoga fossils now in a foreign
land.
The top mend)er of these shales is of a red color which can be easily
detected, and forms a guide to the Bei'ea Sandstone wliich innnediately
overlies it and is of such great ecoiloniica] value. This poi-lion is caHed
lirdlord Shale fi'om file town wlier'c its nu'Sl typical oufcr(i|) occui's. It
lias a thiekncss of alioiit 100 feet. This slialr is \\\'\\ shown at the N'illage
(if flench CiH'ck in Avon Township, in the gorge of Black River at
I'^lyria, in the I'ailroad cut between lOlyria and Ainhersl, in the (iiiarries
HISTORY OK LORAIN COUNTY 3
at Aiiihci'.st, and in tlie clid's Ijoi'dcriii^' Vcriiiilioii Hivcr in Urowii-
Ir'Iii!; I)iil best of all at tlio paik in Klyria.
TiiK Wavkui.y Sandstone
Tills ovorlios the shale deposits everywhere in the eoiiiity south of
Elyria and Amherst. It was originally ealled "Waverly Sanilstone"
from a townin the southern pail of tlie state in the Seioto Valley where
it was extensively (piarrietl on the opening of the Ohio Canal. It is
now more widely known as the " Berea Crit," or "Amherst Sandstone."
The sandstone appears all along from Berea to Berlin Heights and Nor-
walk. It rests uneonformahly on the Bedford Shale. This appears
very elearly in the west fork of Black River at Elyria where it is evident
that tile surface of the Bedford Shale hail suffered much water erosion
before the material of tlie sandstone was deposited.
This unconformity helps to explain some of the remarkable things
connected with the deposits of sandstone so valuable for (luarryiiig pur-
jioses at Brownhelm, Amherst, Elyria, and farther east at Berea, whicli
ill many respects are the most remarkable in the world, both for their
extent and for the ([uality which gives them economical value. As to
(piality we note that the sandstone is remarkably free from everything
but pure silica (sand), the eementiiig matei'ial being silica. Secondly
the sand grains are remarkably sharp so that the finest grindstones in
the world are manufactured from this — the absence of cement prevent-
ing the stone from glazing over and losing its cutting power. Thirdly,
the mjis.ses of sandstone are remarkably free from fracture which would
destroy its value for building i)urposes, while it is three or four times
as strong as brick to resist pressure. Fourthly, the extent of the deposits
combining these (pialities is uiieiiualled. In the stone (piarries at South
Amherst the thickness of the deposits combining the above qualities i.s
from 100 to 175 feet.
But the deposits are not of uniform value over the county. On the
other hand ]\Ir. AV. G. Burroughs (see article in Economic (ieolouy,
Xo]. 8, No. 5, Aug., 1918) has shown that the stone valuable for (piarrying
Js found tilling channels which had ])eeii eroded in the surface of the
liedroi-d Shale, and that it bad been l)rought in by streams fi-om the;
northwest. These channels in the I'.edl'oi'd Shale secured both the inas-
sivrncss of file deposils and Ihcir IVeedoin from fiadure niid also pro-
li'cled Ihe grains of sand IVoni being rolled smool h hy Ihi- waves on the
shore. 'I'lie tpiai'ries opened at I'llyria, (iral'fon and \Vellingl(ni, while
cxrellenl for ordinary building i)Ui'|)oscs, are lacking in some of llieso
eleiiicnls which give special value to the Amhcrsl. Stone.
4 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Tlie relation of theso sliale and sandstone strata (the only stratified
I'ocks in the county) is interesting and important. Tiie strata are not
perfectly horizontal, but dip toward the southeast. In conse(iuenee wells
have to be bored down 1,000 feet to strilce the Corniferous limestone
which crops out at Sandusky. Beyond the limits of the county, toward
the south and the southeaat there is a vast covering of Subcarboniferous
and Carl)ouiferous strata. These appear in striking precipitous ledges
of conglomerate at Little Mountain, Thomson and Nelson ledges, and
in the gorge oi Rocky River east of Medina, rising to an elevation of
1,200 feet above the sea; while still farther to the southeast at Wads-
worth seams of coal appear. Such is the dip of these strata that
borings in the regions where coal is found would have to descend more
than 1,000 feet to reach the sandstone of Lorain County. The outcrop
of Ohio Sliale underlying the sandstones of the county extends eastward
clear across the state, and through Erie County, Pennsylvania, and far
into the State of New York, increasing in thickness througii the entire
distance. AVest of Lorain County the outcrop of these strata extends
to Jierlin Heights and there turns southward, reaching the Ohio River
a little west of the mouth ot' the Scioto and, appearing in Kentucky,
forms a circuit arouml the J'>lue Crass region.
The ag(! of the rocks already (lesci'ibed must be esliiiiated in millions
of years, the lowest estimate !)eiiig l(),()l)(),(;()0 or 12,000,000. After
these strata had been ilei)osite(l in the bottom of the sea, they were
elevated and sul)jected to a long period of erosion both by running
streams and by the action of the waves which dashed against the shore.
This period contiinied through all Tertiary time and is to be estimated
as at least 2,000,000 years. Towards the latter part of the Tertiary
period the land .stood much higher than now so that the rivers cut
gorges, or indeed we may call them canyons, of great depth in the over-
lying strata. The Cuyahoga River had cut a channel 500 feet lower
than its i)reseiit bottom, and uuist have found an exit to the ocean
mueli l)elow that depth. The i)reglacial gorge of, Rocky River was at
least 200 feet below its present level, as also were doubtless those of the
lower i)art of Black antl Vermilion rivers. But these conditions in oui'
county have been alinost completely disguised by the inHuenee of the
(ilacial pei'iod, during which the aeeumulation of snow ami ice over the
regions to the north of us was such that a vast glacier slowly crept down,
(hunming up the di'ainage of the St. Lawrence River and i)onding up
the water befoi-e it until it poured over the various low i)asses into the
Mississippi Basin. Prominent among these water weirs is that from the
]\laumee into the Wabash at Fort Wayne, that froni the Sandusky River
through the Timoelitee Pass into the Scioto, that from Vermillion River
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 5
tliroiif<!i .Savannah Lake into tlu,' Jcroiiic Fork of the jMohicaii iioar Ash-
land, that througli lilaek River into the Kilhiiek at Lodi, and that through
firand Jiiver into tlie i\Ialioning at Warren.
]\L\UKS OF THE Glacial Peimod in tjie County
.Slowly creeping southward during the Glacial period the ice filled
(he hed of Lake Erie, and rose till it surmounted the watershed between
the fireat Lakes and the j\Iississippi, which in Huntington and Rochester
l'liot(Kr.ii'li I'y •'. W. SihciiK'
A Pheglacial Gorge
View looking north tliroiijj;!! the outlet of tlie luejilacial gorge just below the
jniictioM ot tlio east ami west liraiiclies of Ulack Kivcr in (.'ascaile t'ark, I'llyriu.
Tlio roiky masses on either side have fallen off from the clilts ami erept in toward
tlie tenter of the stream. In the liatkground apiiears the preglacial valley which
passes southward west of tlie west hrancli. In the i>i('ture this pregla<ial valley is
seen to he filled with glacial niatejial wliere the roik had heen eroded away. Sand-
stone strata apjiear at the surface a little distance lielow the jiictiire.
in the south part of Lorain County is fully 500 feet ahove Lake Erie.
Pressing still farther soutliward the glacier's front reached Millcrshurg
ill Holmes County and jiushed a loop down the Scioto and ]\iiami
valleys as far as Cincinnati, where it crossed the Ohio and rested on the
highlands of Kentucky a few miles south of tli;\t city. 1 have in llie
museum al Oherlin 'a red jasper conglomerate bowlder, three feet in
diameter, whieli must liave been jiicked up by the ice north of Lake
Huron and carried over the watershed into tlie Mississippi Valley and
deposited in I'oone ('ounty, Kentucky, seven miles south of Cineiiniali,
6 HISTORY OF LORAIX COUNTY -
aiul 500 t'wt aI)ovc' tlic Oliio Ivivor. Tliis with miiiu'roiis other l)0\vklers
hruiiylit. I'loiii Caiiachi is well worlii inakiiijr a i)ilj^i-iiiiaye to 01)erliti
to see.
The fact i& that during the Glaeial period the conditions of Green-
land existed all over the nortliern part of the United St^ites and over
all but the southeastern quarter of the State of Ohio. In the center of
Greenland the ice is now a mile and a half tliick, and under its own
weight is slowly pressing outwards on every side along lines of least
resistance. In New England we know that the ice was a mile deep
because it dropped Canadian bowlders on the top of Mount Wash-
ington. Considering the low degree of the plasticity of ice it must have
been a mile deep over Lorain County in order to move over the water-
shed to tlie soutli as far as the central and southern part of the state.
The Lake Ridges
Wlii'ii the climatic conditions changed and llu; ice front receded to
the north a most interesting condition of things existed in the noi'th(!rii
part of our .state. While the ice was melting back from the southern
shore of Lake Erie and still ol)structed the drainage to the east, a lake
was foruK^d in front of the ice, ttie water rising to the level of the
lowest ])ass into the Mississij)))! Valley, which was from the Maumee
into the Wabash at Fort Wayne, Indiana. This pass is 76.'{ feet above
tide, or approximately 200 feet above Lake Erie. Through this pass
there is a di.stinct abandoned river channel as wide and deep as that of
the Niagara below Buffalo, leading from the IMaumee Valley into that
of the Wabash. Evidently this was the outlet of the drainage l)asin of
Northern Ohio, while the ice was melting Ijack to open .some lower
channel. Naturally the water rose to a height of twenty feet or more
aI)ove tile bottom of the channel so that there was a shore line formed
all across the State of Ohio at approximately 200 feet above the i)resent
level of the lake. This must have continued for several, perhaps many,
centuries resulting in the throwing up upon the margin a sand and
gravel l)eacli, su{;h as is found upon the shore at tlie present time, and
along the bar where sliallow water is found a short distance from tlie
sliorc. Thus there originated what is called the south, or 200-foot, sand
ridge facing Lake Erie through all the northern counties of Ohio. Tliis
ciiii lie traceil at that level from Coniicaut to I'^ort Wayne, whei'c on the
dthci' side of llie oiillct spoken of it turns nortliwcst passing through
Adiiiiii, IMichigan. In Lorain (homily it is well (h-veloijcd in Kidgeville
and i'^aton towiisiiijjs wliere it is known as liutternut Ridge. This
pas,ses tlirough the northwest corner of I'-aton Townsliip reaching the
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 7
west branch of lihick Rivor in Carlisle, about five miles south of lOlyria.
On the west side of llie river it appears a-^'ain runninj,' north and south
past llie (•ounty inlirniary, following tiu; line of a l)ay wliirh set up into
the Valley of liiaek Jiiver. Here it is known as Murray Ridge;; Init
near where the Amherst Road from Elyria crosses the northern division
of the Lake Shore Railroad, the ridge following the same level continues
westward tlirough South Amherst ami Brownhelm, entering Erie
County at Birnungiuun.
When the ice front had withdrawn over iNIichigan a little north of
Port Huron, an outlet for the pent-up waters of this glacial lake was
opened across what is called the tliumb (a peninsula separating Saginaw
Bay from i'ort Huron) into the headwaters of Grand River at Maple
Rapids whence it ran into the glacial lake occupying the south end of
Lake Michigan, and thence through the depression occupied by the
Chicago Drainage Canal into the Illinois River. This outlet in due time
lowered the level of the glacial lake about fifty feet ; when a series of
beaches, or ridges, roughly parallel to the 200-foot ridge was formed
at an approximate level of 150 feet above the lake. When the ice front
had receded still further beyond Saginaw Bay, an outlet into (J rand
River lifty feet lower still was opened at an approximate level of 100
feet above the level of Lake Erie. This gave rise to a still lower lake
ridge approximately 100 feet above tlie present level.
The lilO-foot ridge is well sliown all across Lorain County, and is
known under the name of IMiddle or Center Ridge. It enters the county
at the northeast corner of Ridgeville and is followed by the main
travelled road to Elyria, where for a space it is interrupted by the
Valley of Black River. It begins again in the northwest corner of
Elyria Township, and runs north to within two miles of Lorain, where,
turning southwest, it passes through North Amher.st and Brownhelm,
and on westward through Birmingham and Berlin Heights. This ridge
is everywhere well marked, and like the other ridges was used from the
earliest settlement of the county as a natural roadway, free from the
nuul which characterizes the most of the surface.
The 100-foot ridge, also, ejttends clear across tlie county, being known
as the north ridge. This is a continuation of the Euclid Avenue and
Detroit Street Eidge which passes through Cleveland. It enters the
county from Dover in the vicinity of Avon (!enter, passing tiirougli
Avon and, entering Slieffield, crosses Black Kiver near tiu! (iai'lield
lionicstrail, and like tlie pi'eceding, curving down to within two miles of
Lorain, licnds soutiiwest tiii-ough Nortli Amiierst and lirowniielm to the
lOrie Countv line in Vermilion.
8 , JIlSTOin" Ob' J.OitAIN COUNTY
The Town of IJidgeville is especially lavored with lake ridges. Sugar
Kidge, ill the soutliwest corner of the towiislii]), is only a f(!\v feet
hi^dicr tliaii Middh' Ifidj^n', and owes ils roniialioii to the n<'"<'''"l I'^vei
of Ihe fomitry. Chcsliiiit Hidgc, in tli(; Koiilheast eoriier ol' tlu; tovvii-
siiij), is only tc-n feet lower than Hiitternut Jfiilge, and parallel to it.
This is a continuation of Coe Kidge which appears west of Rocky Kiver
and runs through the southeast corner of Dover and the northeast corner
of Olmsted. Tliere is also in the northeast corner of Amherst and in
Brownhelm what is known as Whittlesey Ridge, which is a few feet
lower than the north ridge.
As already said these sand ridges furnished the original settlers
with the best available roads. The sandy character of the soil along
them has also been favorable to the cultivation of garden truck and
small fruits, as well as for attractive building sites for the suburban
population which in increasing numbers is overtiowing from the growing
x-ities.
Soils
The soil of the county is varied and adapted to every kiud of agri-
culture. All that portion of the county wiiicli is soutii of tiie 2()0-foot
lake ridge consists of tlie direct glacial deposit or "ground moraine"
produced by the grinding up of the shale which crops out all along the
shore of the lake. This grist was mixed in due proportion with debris
of tiie sandstones which outcrop a little fartiier to the .south, and with
a smaller amount of limestone which came from the bed of Lake Erie
and from Ontario together with an abundant sprinkling of granitic
material which the ice brought from farther nortli in Canada. This
deposit is of great depth, probably averaging fifty feet over the southern
part of the county. Sixty or seventy i)er cent of it consists of ground
np shale, which forms the tenacious clay whicli makes the roads so
nearly impassable when frost is coming out in the spring. 1 have seen
wagons stalled in this mud in one of the principal streets of Oberlin,
the wheels settling down to the hubs. According to a reasonable esti-
mate this clay is seventy-five feet deep in Oberlin. A correspondent,
writing from Oberlin to a New York paper, said that he did not doubt
this statement for he knew that it was 21/2 feet deep, so that he could
easily take the other 721/0 feet on faith.
Though this clay soil is somewhat difficult of cidlivatiou, when i)rop-
erly treated it yields the best of results. It is specially adapted for
grazing, and produces abundant liarvests of small graiiks. At fre(|U(;nt
intervals over tliis region tliere are extensive beds of peat or muck
tmLii^i.^
Stone Carvings by AV.ater
AVateifall on tlie west brancli of Black Eiver in Cascade Park, Elyiin, sliowiug
the Waveily samlstone over which the water phinf^es ami into wliicli it lias worn a
gorge aliont twenty feet in (le|ith. At the left is a cave formed liy the erosion of the
soft Bedford shale. The talus on either side obscures the underlying strata of
Bedford shale.
SCKNIO IN (JaHCADH J'AUIC, I<il,Yl!IA
Waterfall on (>ast fork of Black ]{iver in (!ascad(! I'ark, l''lyria. 'I'he Wavorly
sandstone strata held are projcMting over the Bedford shale wirnli has been removed
by the back lash u\ the water.
10 IIiaTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
oec-upyiug what are known by glacialists as "kettle holes" where masses
of ice were originally buried and after melting left depressions with-
out any outlets. The shallow and smaller depressions of tliis kind have
been lilled up with ck-cayed vegetable grovvtii liirnisbing beds whieh are
favorable for cultivation of oinons and celery. About tliree miles south-
west of Kipton one of tliese kettle holes is so large and deep that it is
only partially filled with peat, so that there is left a pond of water in
the middle covering several acres. The peat deposit, however, has
encroached upon it to a considerable distance all around the edge. By
drainage, also, the level of the water has been somewhat lowered. The
principal service of the county ditches has been to furnish drainage for
such depressions in the county.
Just south of the ridges, also, lower areas occasionally occur which
were at first swamps where rich vegetable mold had accumulated, mak-
ing most valuable land. Ditches across the lake ridges, however, have
had to be dug to drain such areas. In several instances where these
ditches have penetrated the lake ridges, fragments of trees liave been
found buried fifteen or twenty feet below the surface, showing that
forests gi'ew upon the shore of the lake while the ridges were being
formed. The most of these fragments appear to be of sycamore trees.
Elevations in tiik County
Everywhere north of the north ridge the level is less than 100 feet
above the lake. Between the middle ridge and the north ridge the
general level is between 100 ami 150 feet above the lake, and between
the middle I'idge and the south ridge the general level is between loO
and 200 feet. These level areas were lake bottoms during the suc-
cessive stages of the recession of the ice. South of the upper ridge,
some of the levels are as follows — Elyria on the 150-foot ridge is 730
feet above tide; OIhtUu is nearly 100 feet higher or 827 feet above tide;
Kipton, 30 feet higher, is 857 feet aljove tide (a level which at Collins
in Huron County rises to 900 feet) ; Wellington is 856 feet above tide, or
30 feet iiigher than 01)erlin, while at Huntington Center the level is 970
feet al)ove tide, rising to 1,015 feet one mile south and to 1,100 feet on
the line between Lorain and Ashland counties. Farther .south in Sulli-
van the land rises to an elevation of 1,200 feet, or 827 feet al)ove Lake
Krie. The 1 .OOO-foot level is reached at Lilclilield. easl ol" Penliehl wiiieli
is for tile most jjai't on a h'vel with Weliiiiglon, 855 feet above tide. The
level of Lagrange corresponds closely to thai in Oherliii and i'itlslicid,
being about 825 feel aliove tide, but eastward liirou^^h (Jral'loii it rises
IliSTOilY OF LORAIN COUNTY 11
on the border of the county to i)12 feet above tide. The elevations iu
Ifochcster correspond closely witli those in lluntiiiyton.
Natiikai. (iah and On-
Gas sjjrings have long been known in various parts of the county.
When 1 was in college in 1857 Professor Allen used to take his classes
over to the Gaston Farm a mile or two southwest of South Amherst to
see a burning gas jet which came out of the ground just east of the road.
]n Siiel'tield in the Valley of Black River near Curtis' JNIill, a mile south
of the Center, there was also a jet of gas wliich gave a brilliant flame
when lighted. Evidently these jets came from the carbonaceous matter
wiiicii we have said formed such a large portion of the Devonian Shale
wliich covers the northern part of the county to a great depth.
Aftei" the iliscoveries of natural gas in Western Pennsylvania wells
lu'gaii to l)e l)ored in the county about 1,000 feet to the bottom of the
shale, from which deptli a small but steady supply of illuminating gas
was usually obtained, in nuiny cases this was sufficient to furnisli
light for the house and to do the cooking, and in some eases to provide
all tile heat which was necessary to warm the iiou.se during winter.
Sucli wells were specially successful in Ulack Kiver, Sheffield, lOlyi'ia,
Ivu.ssia, Carlisle, I'ittslield, and Lagrange townshij)s. iu I'ittslield and
Ijagrange the supply of gas from this .source was more abundant than
in tile other townsliii)s.
Later a luucli larger supply of gas, with occasional small quantities
of oil, was found about 1,000 feet lower down in what is called the
"Clinton sand." This is just below a thick and tleiise dcpo.sit of lime-
stone which had evidently confined the gas and kept it in pockets uiuler
consideralile pressure.
The largest amount of gas so far derived from this source in the
county was olitained in Avon where two or three wells each produced
at first more than r),fK)0,()00 euliic feet a day. At tlie present writing
there are seventeen i)io(lueing wells iu Avon, furnisliiiig about 10,000,000
cubic feet of gas a day. In Lagrange one well |)ro(luci'(l at first 1,500,000
ciiliie I'cct per day. In Ku.ssia (iiic well produced at first 1, ;')()(), 000 cubic
feel per day, and one produced in addition to tiic gas five liarrels of
oil i)cr (lay for six months, when for some i-eason water got into tlie
well and inferfered witii tin? siip|)ly. In I'ittslield, one well jiroduced
at first 4,000,000 cubic feet ])er day, and six i)roduced 500,000 ciiliic
feet each. At the present linu' one well is producing from five to .seven
bairrls of oil. If will finis appear tliat a belt of gas-|iroduciiig territory
I'liiis lliidiigli tl:e ciislcrn and ccnirai part of flic coiinly fi'oin nortii to
12 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
soiith. But the county has not heen explored for gas and oil as
have IMedJna and Ashland counties and others farther south, where
iiuK-h larj^er (luantities of gas and oil art; heing olitained. Tliat the
gas exists in limited pools unconnected with each other is sliown hy
the fact tliat tlie ])ressurc diininislies after a time, while often a dry
well and a good well are sunk near to each other.
Following is tlie log of a well hored hy the Lagrange Cleveland Stone
Company, which gives a good idea of tlie rock strata underlying tlie
county :
Feet
10-inch drive pipe through glacial deposits.. 60 ^
Shale deposits 860 920
Limestone deposits (Corniferous, etc.) 280 1,200
Loose deposits with much water 62 1,262
Rock salt 2:5:5 1,495
Sliale deposits 8 1,50:3
:\lore salt 2 1 ,505
Limestone (Niagara, etc.) 525 2,0:50
Limestone (Clinton) 40 2,070
Clinton sands 78 2,148
Medina samistone 149 2,297
A small amount of gas was found in the Clinton sands at 2,160 feet.
It may he well to note that in the above log the Corniferous limestone
.struck at 920 feet is the rock that appears at Sandusky, ]\Iarblehead,
and Kelly Island; and that the Niagara and Clinton deposits are those
which appear in the Niagara gorge overlying the ]\Iedina sandstone.
It is interesting to notice, also, that an abundant quantity of rock salt
underlies Lorain County as well as Barl)erton, Cleveland and Fairport.
CI I APT 10 K II
BOTANY OF THE COUNTY
By Mary E. Day
The Trees — The Shrubs — The AVild Flowers — The Ferns — The
(jR ASSES — Flora op the County — A UNUiUE Bog — Collectors of
Plant Lu'^e.
AVheii the first settlors came the land was covered with a dense forest,
much of it valuable timber. About sixty species of trees have been
noted in the county belonging to seventeen families and thirty genera:
the Oaks, Maples, Elms and Ashes being the most abundant.
The Trees
Tile tall straight Oaks (Quereus allta) many feet xij) to the lowest
limljs from having grown .surrounded by other trees were perhaps of tlie
greatest value. They were sawed into plank three or four inelie.s thiek
and sold for ship-plank. In 1816 these 2)lank sold for $10 per thousand.
In 1S47 the j)riee had ri.sen to $11 per thousand, and $16 for long plank.
Many of these trees measured over 1,000 feet of plank, but the average
was below that. Thirty years later the ])riee of White Oak kunl)er sawed
in four, live, and six inch plank, had risen to $38 per thousand at tlie
sawmill and was sold as high as $45 per thousand delivered in Tona-
wanda. New York. One AVhite Oak tree measured 2,500 feet of plank,
but the average was about 800 feet. Some of the finest oaks grew where
the Steel Plant is now situated, on soil that in some places is only a few
ftet deep over the shale. AViiite Oak also grew near the streams in rii-h
soil. Oidy a few of these fine old trees are left in the county now. The
Bur-Oak aiul Swamp AVhite Oak are included with tlie White Oak in
commeree. They have been used extensively for railroad ties and fence
j)()sts. We have live other si)ecies of Oak known as the lied Oak, Pin
Oak, Seai'let Oak, Chestinit Oak ((^uei'cus Mnhleiibei-gii), and Yellow-
barked or Piack Oak (Quereus velutina). The iiuicr l)ark of this last
named Oak was used by the ])ioneers for coloring cloth.
The 'i'ulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), conniionly known as the
"Whitewood, is one of the most bcautil'ul of our native trees. It gi'ew
iimst aluuulantly near the lake ridges. Tlie Indians used this tree for
their dugout canoes. The lund)er was much prized by the early settlers
in building houses, cf^pecially for siding.
i;j
14
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Tlie Chestnut tree is also foniul on the ridges. The fruit is valuable
and in cai'Iy times llu; Chestnut made llie best wood J'oi' I'ail I'enees,
because it is readily s])lit and is durable.
Tlie White I'ine (Pinus strobus) is round on the river bank in Elyvia
Township, and in a lew scattering places farther down the stream, and
also to some extent in Brownhelm on Vermilion River. These, with a
few specimens of the Ilendoek and the Red Cedar, are the only other
evei'gi'eens we have.
I'liolugraiJli by C. \V. Sclicide.
FiHST GiiOWTii FouEST Tkee
Specimen tree prcseiveil Iroiu the origiiml forest. Until tlie Nickel Pl.ite R. K.
was built tliis tree stood upon tlie t:irm of Norman Day ia SliellielJ. Originally
tlie whole county was thickly covered witli trees of this size.
Very lai'^e T-lnck Walnul lives gi'ew near the streams and on the
rich bhii-k soil of the liottom hinds along the river. AVith great labor
^\'illnll^ trees \vci-c cut down liy the early settlers and burned in log
heajis tiiat would have proved a fortune if saved. In ISvSf) the l^la(;k
Walnut trees that grew on three acres of land in Hheflield Township
were sold standing by Judge William Day for ^l.-'iOO. The largest tree,
n rnorr.ii
HISTORY OK LORAIN COUNTY 15
iiicasiiriiiji; ]0,0(K) feet of liinil)er, sold for $()() pel- tlioiis;ui(], l)riiifiiiig
$(J()(). 'I'lic tfcc wiis iiciii'ly T) feet in (liiiiiu'tci- iiiul .'{;"> feet \i]) to the
lirst, liiiil). 'I'lic ])liuik from oiu; liliu-U Walnut \(>^ ]H fee;! loii^ that was
(luy: out of a Hood jtilc wlici'c it^ had lain foi- many years was sold l)y
.James Day for $100.
The Syeauiore or Biittomvood grew to an immense size near the
river. »Soine of these trees, too large to be sawetl wiiole, were split in two
with dynamite.
There are several speeies of ]\Iai)les. The Ked or Soft Maple grows
most luxuriantly in the swamps. The Sugar ]\Iaples (Aeer saeeharum)
are abundant all over the eounty. The early settlers obtained a bountiful
supply of sugar from these trees, and it was evident tliat some of the
large old Maples along the river had been tapped before the settlers
came. The making of maple syruji and sugar is an important industry
in the county at present. In 1915 there were 75,74-1 ]\Iaple trees from
which syrup or sugar was made, the product lieing 2,150 pounds of sugar
and lo,652 gallons of .syrup. The Curly or Birdseye Maple that is now
very valuable is found occasionally. This is not a different species of
r>Iaple, but is found in all the si)e(;ies.
'i'hci'e ai'e s(;veral species of Hickory. The Shagbark Hickory yields
the [))-incii)al hickor}' nut of the market. Tiie tree is not veiy alnuuh.nt
now. The Indians made great use of the luits for food.
The BliU'k Cherry (Prunus serotina) grows to a lai-ge size. The
lumbci' was much i)rize(l in early days for making fui'uiture. Tlic birds
feast on tiie fruit.
The Amei'ican Elm is a well-known tree. It sometimes reaches a
great size when growing near streams. Tiie Red or Slippery Elm is
also iibundant.
There ai'e four s])ecies of Pojilar, including the American Aspen
and the Large-toothed Aspen. Populus heterophylla is a large tree
growing in the swamps. This tree is called the Black Poplar. Populus
deltoides is called Cottonwood. As a native tree this is not very abuutl-
aut, but is found along the lake shore.
Several of the native Willows rank as trees and add much to tiie
beauty of our landscapes.
There are four siiecies of A.sh trees. The White Asii and Black
A.sh ai-e best known. There is also the E<'d Ash (Fraxinus pennsyl-
vaiiica), and the vai'iety lanceolata, known as the (Jri-en Ash, and the
Pmiiiikin Asli (Fraxinus profunda).
Tile 15eeeh ( Fagus grand! folia ) is one of our (iiiesi trees. It has a
smooth ash-gray bai'k that makes it a noticeable tree in winter as well
as siiiniiii r. It often grows willi tlie llendock, the two I rees liarmoni/.ing
perrrclly. l''ossil i-cmains I'l'piTscnling this genus have been found in
4'illlU(
16 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Alaska, Colorado, and California. There is a yellowish-brown plant,
named Beeeh-drops, tliat is always found under Beech trees, a parasite
on tlieir roots.
The Basswood or Linden has flowers tliat are a great attraction to
the bees.
The Sassafras roots yield oil of sassafras.
The Blue Beech (Carpinus earoliniana) is a small tree belonging to
the Bii'ch family. It is also called Hop Hornbeam. The wood is very
dense.
The Ironwood, another small tree, is often found growing in tlie
same vicinity. Tliis tree also has very hard wood.
There are a number of trees in the county that are never very
abundant in Northern Ohio. Among these are the Cucumber-tree
(Magnolia acuminata), Kentucky Cotfee-tree, Honey Locust, Pep-
peridge. Red Mulberry, C-'ork Elm, Ilackberry, Box Elder, and the
Yellow Birch. The Kentucky Colfee-tree, resembling the Locust, has
been found in two localities in Sheftield, four or five trees in each group;
the Cucumber-tree in Elyria Township ; the Honey Locust, as a native
growtii, near tiie mouth of Black River. Tlie Ilackberry or Sugafberry
(Celtis occidetitalis), a lieautiful tree resembling an FAm, grows near
the streams; the fruit is a bei'ry. The Box Kkler grows where tiie
soil is very rich.
Tiie Yellow Bircli (Betula lutea) is found in tiie township of Elyria
and Sheffield near the nortii ridge. Tlioreau says of the Yellow Birch:
"How pleasing to stand near a new or rare tree; and few are so hand-
some as this; singularly allied to the black birch in its sweet checker-
berry scent and its form and to tlie Canoe Birch in its peeling or
fringed and tassel bark."
The Pepperidge or Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) is known by its
shining leaves and horizontal ])ranclies. It is so seldom one finds a
Bepperidge tree that its location is always remembered.
The .June-berry, Pawpaw, two of the Dogwoods (Cornus) and one
Black Haw (A'iliurnum) often grow to the size of trees. AVe also have
the Oiiio Buckeye, Hutternut, Wild Crab Apple, and a number of
si)ecirs of Thorn.
TwE Siiuuis.s
"We have many nalivi! slirubs, some of them bearing fruil in autumn
that is very liright and showy. The Climbing Bitter-swcn-t (Celastrus
.scandens), Waaiion, Wiiiferbci-ry ( lli'X vertieillala), the Dogwoods, and
Sniilax are examples. The rvd Iiei-ries of the WinteiOierry are neaily
as slmwy as lliose of our Aniei'ieiin lidlly (Ilex ojiaea) wliieli grows
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 17
riirduT soulli. Tlu' hcrrifs ortoii hang on tlio I)u.s1k'S until Cliristinus
time.
Tin; Witcli-llnzel (Ilaiiiaiiielis virgiiiica) I^Iossoinn late in the autumn,
somc'timt's after the snow conies, and matures its seeds tlie next
autumn, bearing flowers and ripe fruit at tiie same time. In early days
the fruit of the wild plum and the wild grape was gathered for use.
The High or Swamp ]51uel)erry, growing in the marshes, furnished
delicious fruit for many years. There were also cranlterries at tiiat
time in the marshes. Both are now nearly extinct. The Red Rasp-
berry still grows on the mai-gin of the swamps. The Black Raspberry
vines were not seen until openings were made in the forest. They
sprang up where brusli heaps had been burned. There is a variety with
yellow fruit. The Blackberry is the finest of our wild fruits, surpassing
in sweetness the cultivated berry. Tiie Huckleberry (Gaylu.ssacia
resinosa), a low slirub, is (]uite abundant. The variety with white berries
is found in Avon. The wild strawberry is becoming very eonunon,
growing along all our roadsides and ou the borders of the fields. There
is also a variety of wild strawberry with white fruit. The elderberries
are also a valued fruit. All of these fruits furnish food for the birds.
The Wild Floweus
The wild flowers that grow within our limits are very numerous,
the flrst in the springtime being the IIei)atieas, followed in quick suc-
cession liy all the troops of delicate wild beauties.
A number of Orchids have been noted, among them the Sho\vy
Orchis with its rich green leaves and pink flowers, the Ragged Pringed-
Orcliis, and the l)eautiful liabenaria psycodes with its rich red purple
l)lossoms. The Yellow Lady's Slipper is founil occasionally, but the
Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium aeaule) has not been found for a
number of years. Butty-root (Ai)lectrum hyemale) is an orchid that
forms a solid bulb each .year, and these bulbs were eaten by the pioneer
boys with much enjoyment, imt tiie j)lant was not (piite exterminated
by this use.
The Wild Hyacinth, growing on the bottom lands in great abundance,
has a root that resembles an onion, which the Indians used for food.
The AVhite Water Lily (Castalia tuberosa) gi-ew in the river at the
lower end of the island opposite the steel plant, until a few years ago.
The wild Sunflowers of several species, and Ihe Joe-Rye Weed form
a mass of color along the I'iver diii-ing August and Se|)teiiil)er. The
tall yellow Coreopsis aiul the (Jreat Willowdierb are showy flowei-s at
South Loi-ain.
18 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
The Ferns
There are about thirty species of fenis growing in our county, rang-
ing from the stately Ostrieli Fei'ii growing in alhivial soil to the ch;lieate
As])leninni Triehoiiiaiies and tlie Walking Leaf on tlie roeks in Flyria.
Tlie Christinas Fern tliat is green all winter is one of our most common
ferns and tlie Bladder Ferns the most beautiful. Dieksonia is a sweet-
scented fern.
The Grasses
A large number of gras.ses in the county now are naturalized grasses,
but the native grasses numlier fifty or more, the streams, marshes,
and lake beach adding many tall showy species. The i\Iarsh Grass, or
Slough Grass, three or four feet tall, grows on the baidc of French
Creek Jiear its moutli. Indian liiee, or Water Oats (Zizania a(iuatica)
a beautiful grass is found near the mouth of Black River. The grain
is white like rice and in Canada the Indians use it for food. The Reed
Grass (Phragmites conmumis), growing ten or twelve feet high, is
found at Jjorain. It spreads from the roots, and so forms large patches.
Two tall graceful grasses grow along the lake beach, Switch Grass
(Panicum virgatum) and Wild Rye with long drooping spikes. There
are native Poas, Panicums, Erogrostos, and Agrostis, .some growing in
open ])laces, some kinds in woods, some where it is dry, others in wet
places — all having their favoi'ite locations.
Flora ov the County
The flora of our county whose congenial luibitat is farther north is
the Hemlock, IMountain ]\laple, Red-lierried Elder, Purple Flowering
Raspberry, Gobi Thread, Calla jjalustris, Swanif) Saxifrage, and Club-
Moss (Lycopodium luciduluin). These are all eonunon in the North
and their presence here is due to the Glacial pei'iod. Nearly all jjlants
have a preferred habitat. The Pyrola, or Shin Leaf, with its white
fragrant blos.soms chooses pine or hemlock woods. The Closed Gentian
grows where the ground is rich aiul moist. The lovely ^loss Pink
(Phlox su])ulata) grows on our dry banks. This plant and our Climbing
Rose (Rosa setigcra) are often cultivated. The Swamp Rose I\lallow
(Hibiscus jMoscheutos) makes the marshes at Lorain and Beaver Creek
bright with its lai'gc! jiink blossom. Tlie AVild Cobiiubiiie (Afpiilegia
canadensis) grows its best in tlie shale of the jx'rpendicular river bank
at llic Fort Spi'iiig in Mlyi-ja Township witli Die water from the spring
above constantly dri|)ping over it.
A TTNKjdE Bo(i
(!aiii(len Lake in (lamdcn Township is sni'roundcd by a low wet bog
where S|>liagiiiiiii Moss, the preiloiiiiiieni source of nenl, grows. In lliis
HISTORY OF I.OHAIX COUNTY 19
hog many plants lliat have Ih-coiiio rare or extiiiet in otlier parts of the
county are t'ouiid growing ahundantly. Among the slii'\ihs foinid here
are Poison JOhh'r or. Poison Sumadi (Rhus vernixj, tlie most poisonous
]ilant we have; the species of Chokeherry witli hhick I'ruit (I'yrus
melanoeari)a) ; tlie Junelterry or Sliad JJusli (Amelancliier spicata).
Tile fruit of this species rii)ens in September, while tin; fruit of our
common Juiiehei-ry ripens in June; Mountain Holly (Neopantlnis
nuK.Tonata) and Withe-rod (Vihunnim cassinoides). The American
Cranberry (Vaccinnium macrocarpon) and the Trailing Swamp lilack-
berry grew together in tiie moss. A number of fine water-loving Orchids
have been found in this bog — Pogonia ophioglossoides, Calopogon pul-
chellus, Ilabenaria clavellata, and Ladies' Tresses (Sj)ii'anthes cernua).
Arrow Arum (Peltandra Virginica) flourishes here. The fern NVood-
wardia Virginica, and the Pitcher Plant (Sarraeenia purpurea) have
been found only here.
Collectors of J'lant Life
In Dr. J. S. Newberry's catalogue of Ohio plants published in IS.')*)
he gives the names of a number of i-are species of plants collected in
Elyi'ia by Doctor Kellogg that have not l)een collected in the county
since. Four rare ferns were reported — Woodsia glal)ella, a small fern
that grows on moi.st mossy rocks and is found in Noithern New England,
New York, and Minnesota, and in Alaska and Greeidand; AspL-nium
pinnatifidum, a very rare fern, and Asplenium montaiuim, both grow-
ing on cliffs and rocks; and [{otrychrum simi)lex. The shrub jjabrador
Tea (Ledum (Jrocnbindieum) whicii grows in l)ogs and on mountain
slopes north wai'd and is found in Greenland. Doctor Kellogg is the
only one to rej)oi-t tliis plant from Ohio. lloi'setail (E(|uisetum
variegatum), a rare plant, also coming from the north, is reported from
Black River.
ir. ('. Peardslee's catalogue of Oiiio plants published in 1874 includes
in its list specimens collected liy Dr. R. S. Harvard of Elyria ami his
pui)il Dr. X. S. Townsend. Tn this list the Amei'ican ^lountain Ash
(Pyrus sitehensis) is reported from Elyi'ia, also the Fringed Polygala
(Polygala paucifolia).
I'l-oF. Charli's I'cniield and Doctor Dascomli wrre early colleelors
in Obcrlin.
.Ml-. .). Tccri'll i'ound thi' rare Slioi'l-IVingcd Ccnlian ((Jcniiana ser-
rata ) in Hi-ownhcim on the Y<'rmiii(iu River in LSSI).
(iinscng (i'anax (|uin(|Ueroliuin) which was once rather abumlanl on
rich banks is now vcvy rare. The Ar'oimitic W'iiilcrgrccu (d'aullhcria
prdcniiiliciis ) is iilso liccoming rai'c in nwv cdiiiilv,
CHAPTER III
ANIMAL LIF1<: OF THE COUNTY
By Prof. Lynch Jones
Native and JMigratouv Bhjos — Changes in Varieties — Wateu Birds —
SoNOSTEus — JMammals of Ijt»i{AiN CouxTV — Pkehistoimc Kemains —
Fishes of the County — Amphibians — Rei'tiles — Insects.
There liave been found within the confines of the county 2G1 diiferent
species of Inrds whicii eitiier reside in the county regularly or visit
the county in tlieir migrations north and south. Most conspicuous reg-
ular residents are Boh AVliite, Cardinal, Chickadee, Bald Eagle, Gold-
liiich, eight species of Hawk, Blue Jay, Praii'ie Horned Lark, White-
breasted Nuthatch, five species of Owl, Tufted Titmouse, Cedar Waxwingl,
three species of Woodpecker, and Carolina Wren. In small numlxjrs,
also, members of ttie following species remain during the wintei', name-
ly, Ihe Crow, Robin, ]iluel)ird, ]\lea(low Ijark, Nortliern Flicker, Bron;a'd
Crackle, and JMourning Dove.
N.VTIVE AND ]\IlGlJATOUY BiKDS
Tliere are eighty-si.x; species whicli l)reed in tlie county, and tlie fol-
lowing species reside in the county in tlic winter only, namely, P>rown
Creeper, Tree Sparrow, Golden ('rowned Kinglet, Slate Coloreil Junco,
Purple Finch, Winter AVren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin,
Horned Lark, Nortliern Shrike, and Snowflake. Wild Geese, Swans,
various species of L)ucks, and otlier water birds visit the Oberlin water
works foi- a short period of rest on their migratory journeys.
Chancks in VAi£n;Tii;s
The Wild Turkey and Passenger Pigeon have entirt'ly disappeared
bel'ore llie advance of civilization, and the RulTcd Grouse and Northern
Pileati'd Woodpecker ai'c pi'aclieally exteiMiiinated, only an occasioiud
IIll^TORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 21
individual may still venture into tlio borders of tlie county from some
ncif^lilioi'inf^ fastness.
TIm; (lisappearanec of the vast forests has hrouf,'ht about sonu; markiMl
eliaMf,'es in bird life. Many iiehi birds which were unknown wliik^ the
forests remained have gradually spread over tlie state as the area of
open iields lias increased. We still notice this movement of certain
Inrds wiiich have invaded the county within the past score of years, sucli
as Baciinum's and Lark Sparrows, both beautiful songsters.
Water Birds
Lake P^rie furnislies us with some rare water l)irds, such as tlie Lje-
land Gull and Briinnich's ]Murre. Wliile there has been no appreciable
lessening of the numliers of the gulls and terns which are found along
tlie lake, tliere has been a marked decrease in the numliers of ducks and
geese and siiore Ijirds. Where once vast numliers were to be found now
only scattering individuals are met witli. This decrease is due both
to pot hunters and sportsmen, and to tlie settlement of the lake shore
and the occupation by industrial plants of the swamp lands at the
mouths of the streams which emi)ty into tlie lake. Where coiisideralile
areas of swamp and marshland still remain ducks and geese may still
be found in coiisideralile numbers.
Songsters
It is worth noting that certain of the song birds have greatly increased
in the last iifteen years. Cardinals were scarce fifteen years ago but
are now common over most of the county, ('arolina Wnnis were hardly
known at all llieii wiiile they are to-be found in every river gorge and in
some of the villagi'S now. Yellow-breasted Chats could be iiuiiibered
on the lingers of both hands twenty years ago, Init now nearly every
consitlerahle brushy copse harbors a pair or more. Bewick's Wren and
Carolina (Miiekadee have been found in Oberlin within the last three
y,..,is — first eounly records. Lorain County is on the migration route
of the rare Kirtland's Warbler.
Value op Quail
AVhen the farmers come to appreciate the value of the (luail as the
most important enemy of the (;onimon potato beetle this bird will receive
the iirotection which it deserves and we shall again iiiid it along the
I'oadway and liear its call in every field. This county represeiils the
22 IllSTOllY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
iiorthormuost limit of the range of the quail, and in severe winters
many are frozen to death. J3ut if tliey are supplied with al)undaiit
food and provision made for sheltering them where predatory mauimals
eaiiiKjt iind tlieni at night tliey will certainly survive in snflieient num-
bers so that they will prove of invaluahle aid in the control of the
potato beetle and other insects wiiieh injure crops.
AIammai.s ov Loit-viN County
The Opossum is tiie oidy representative of the ]\Iarsupials in the
county. There is a record of tweidy-one Kodenls for the county, of
\vhicli the Cray and lilack S(iuirrels and Beaver have disappeared en-
tii'cly. They were numerous wiicn the county was settled and for years
al'lerwartl.
There are probably seven .si)ecies of I)ats in the county, of wiiich tlie
Common Red Bat is the best known and most numerous.
The only native I'ngulates seem to have been the Common Deer and
the Wapiti, both of which have long been extinct, except for an oci-a-
sional stray deer [)robably fi'om IMichigan. It is possii)le that straying
indivitluals cross the lake on the rare occasions wiien it is solitlly frozen
over.
I find records of tliirteen or fo\irtecn .species of Carnivora for the
county. Of these the Black liear. Otter, Jiadger, Gray Fox, Timljer
AVolf, Wild Cat and Punm or Panther are gone. The Raccoon, Skunk,
Weasel, l^Iiiik are still faii'ly common, while the Retl Fox is rarely re-
l)ortc(l. 'i'iu' least Weasel has been recorded only twice. It is inevitable
that the larger Carnivora should be driven out or exterminated with the
increasing settlement of the county.
PiuouiSTuinc Rem.mns
Of coui'se the Indians have disappeared, but theiv still renunn the
three kitchen-middens where for ceiduries, probably, they lived in vil-
lages fortified against their foes. One of tiiese is on the forks of French
Creek, north of Elyi'ia, another on the Black River about half way be-
tween Elyria and Lake Erie, the otiier on the Vernulion River near the
Swift farm.
Any account of the inhabitants of the county would be incomi)lete
which did not contain mention of tiie Mastodon remains whicii havi-
been i'oiiiid. On the i"'reni-li f;irm, in Mrownhelm Township, both tusks,
most of the skull, and numerous vertebrae and other fragments of the
skeleton were; discovered while a drain diteli was being dug in n nuick
IIISTOIIY OF J.ORAIN COUNTY 23
ai'ca iiiiiiicdialcly soiilli of tlii; laku rid^'i; at tliat place. Tlu'sii I'rag-
iiiciits are now in the Oherliii JMiiseimi. Ki'at^iiieiil.s ol' iiiolai' teeth ol" a
mastodon were I'ound in a muek jjateli wliieli was lieini^ drained tiii'ee
miles soutiiwest of Oherlin. Tliis is some live miles south of the soiilhern-
most extent of the upper lake ridge. This indicates that the mastodon
wandered over the I'egion which is now Lorain County at least as late
as the close of the Ice Age.
Pishes of the County
I\lr. L. M. iMcConnick, in a "Descriptive List of the Fishes of Lorain
County, Ohio," published by Oberlin College in 1892, gives eighty-nine
species, of which the "Paddle Fish" is jjrobably the only species which
has entirely disappeared. The college museum contains a somewhat
nuitilated specimen of this large fish. It is undoubtedly true that many
of the food fishes and game lishes have decreased in numbers in the last
twenty-live years, especially in the streams which have, in the interval,
been utilized for industrial plants. The lessening How of most of our
streams and their filling with del)ris must have e.Kerted some influence
upon the fishes which live in them.
The Sturgeons are very common off shore in the lake and often
grow to a large size. One specimen measured 6 feet 2 inches and weighed
12!) pounds.
The Garpike, or Bill-fish, is common in the lake, and large schools
come into the rivers in April to spawn. They grow to be from 2 to 5
feet long.
The Catfishes are represented by ten species. Of these the Blue Cat,
connnon in the lake and lower parts of the rivers is highly prized as
food. Individuals sometimes weigh as much as 100 poiuid.« ; Init five
jiounds is the probable average of those that are caught.
Suckers are represented l)y nine species, of wbich the White-nosed
Sucker, the Big-mouthed IMullet, and the Small-mouthed Alullet, are
most common. Ja early spring these crowd up into the rivers to spawn;
but by the middle of IMay most have returned to the lake. Small ones,
however, up to 8 inches or more can be found all sununer.
Twelve si)t'cies of miiuiows are found. Some of these are extremely
beautiful in their coloring, in the spring es|)ecially. They ai'i' chiefly
valnabli' as furnishing green pastures for lai'ger speckles. During the
iiioiitlis of April and IMay they crowd nj) the rillles in inniiensc niun-
bci's to spawn; but by the lirst of -Inly (hey have nearly all retui'ued lo
the lake.
The (liz/ard-shad which now abounds is said lo have entei'<'d Lake
24 HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
Erie when the Erie Canal was opened in 1848. It is very Iiandsonie
but worthless.
The Salmons are among the most valued of all the fishes, ineluding
the White Fish, J^ake lleri'ing, and J^ake Trout; but they do not i're-
queiit the rivers. J\Ir. Nieliohis of Veimilion reported a wiiite lish tliat
wi'iglied li*|/^ pounds.
The Pikes are represented by three species. The Little Pickerel
frecjuents tlie headwaters of most of the streams, and are coiiuuon in
Vermilion River near Kipton. Tliey feed on smaller tish, even on their
own young. One 6V2 inches long was found in the act of digesting
the head of another which was 'iyn inches long, the rest of the body
waiting its turn outside. The Muskalonge was formerly very abundant
but now rarely taken.
The Sun Fishes are re^jresented by ten species of which the Rock
Bass is most valuable and common in the large streams. The Pumpkin-
seed is abundant in tlie ril'llcs of tlie larger streams, and in the bayous
near tlie lake. It is not frecjuent above the dams in the streams, but
is found in Camden Lake where it attains a large size.
The Perches are represented by fourteen species, of which the Rain-
bow Darter, Yellow Perch, and Blue Pike are the most eomiuon. The
Blue Pike occasionally reaches the length of three feet and a weight
of mort' than thii-ty pounds. Jt is very common in the lake but enters
streams oidy occasionally. This is one of the most valualtle food fishes
taken in the pounds.
The Sea Bass (White Bass) is closely allied to a large saltwater
family, and is supposed to be the land-locked form of the Striped Bass.
This is quite common in the lake, ascending the streams to the dams;
but I\Ir. (ieorge Dewey reported finding them in Kipton far above the
dams.
The Sheeps-head, a worthless tish common in the lake and in the
streams below the dams, is principally remarkable for its ear bones
which are the lucky stones often found on the lake beach.
Of the Sculpins, the Star Gazer or ]\Iud Head has been found oidy
in Spring Brook and Chance Creek, where it is common.
Amphibians
There are between twenty-five and thirty species in Lorain County,
but the group has not received the exhaustive study which would make
]iossil)le ])ositive statements. Probal)ly most of the sjx'eies which are
dei)endent upon swamj) or marsh conditions have decreased with the
decreasing areas of their proper habitats. In favorable places the large
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 25
Bull Frog may be found in some numbers, and his "l)ellowings" heard.
Jiccaii.se the Wood Frog lives only in beeeh woods, and such woods are
fast disapi)cariiig, this sixM-ies is fast deereasing. Tice h'rogs are also
less ninneroiis than hel'oi't; tlie woods beeanie so scattering and so small.
Many of the breeding places of the frogs have either been completely
drained, or now dry up in summer so that the species which require
more than a sliort season for growth in the tadpole stage are unable to
lind suitable breeding places.
Reptiles
■\Ir. L. ^I. ]\IcCormick is the chief authority on this group for this
county. The list which he compiled and was made ready in 1892, con-
tains the names of forty-three .species, of which fifteen are turtles and
twenty-eight snakes or snake forms. j\Iost of the turtles have decreased
with the decreasing swamps and marshes and i)onds, but may still
be found in the extensive marshes outside of the county. ]\Io.sr, if not
all, of the extremely large Snapping Turtles have been captured. The
small Painted Turtle is now the connuonest of the turtles.
Only three venomou.s snakes have been found in the county, and they
are now apparently exterminated. The Banded liattle Snake, the
]\Iassasauga or Black Rattler, antl the (."opperhead have not been found
within the last ten years. It is likely that there are none in the county,
except possibly as occasional wanderers. None of the remaining true
snakes are venomous, and none are harmful, wliile many of them are
distinctly bc'iieheial in their food haljits.
Insects
It would be hopeless to try to say more tlian that the county has its
full (]Uota of insects. Such pests as the Ten-lined Potato Beetle, the
Codling ]\Ioth, Canker Worm, San Jose Scale, and many others have
invaded the county within recent years. It is likely that many species
have disappeai'ed with the cluinging conditions due to settlement, and
that nuiiiy have changed their food plants and otherwise so modified
their behavior that they were able to successfully meet the changed con-
ditions. The number of species is so great, and many of the forms so
small that the task of compiling a complete list of all of the species
which live in tlie county is too great for any one generation of students
of insects. Very little real i)rogress has yet been made towartl th(!
control of insect ])ests.
Of the I'emaiuiiig forms of animal life it is possible 1o speak only in
26 rirSTORY OF LORATX COUNTY
the most ^n-iHTiil Icniis. A little iirof^rcss lias l)c'fii iiiadt^ in llio. study oE
tilt' (')'aylislu's, a little has been done with the niiiiiite ('rusta<'ea whii-ii
are found in water, we know a little about our fresh water Coelenterates,
Spon^'es, and Protozoons, and some work has been done on the Molluses,
partieularly the Snails and the Clams. But the field is an open one and
a rieli one.
CHAPTER IV
l.EADINU TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT
GUEAT IIlSTOUIC WaTKIIVVAYS EllENCII SCIIEME OK COLONIZATION
EUENCH NokTIlWEST TeRIUTOUY — FORMALLY ClAIM liOUSIANA — ENG-
LISH SEUVh; Notice of I'osse.ssion — First Ohio Company and Auknt
Gist — George Croghan — In the Land of the Delawares — French
AND English Clash — The Delawares I\1ove Westwardly — The
Ottawas and the Wyandots of the Lake Erii': Region — Bou-
quet's EXI'EDITION — ShAWNEES LaST TO SURRENDER — A NoRTHWFST
Territory Assured — Lifting of the Indian and Statk Titles —
Lord Dunmore's Squatters — American System of Land Surveys
— Public Ijands — (Congress Lands — Connecticut Western Re-
serve — I<'iRE Lands — United States ]\1ilitary Ijands — Virginia
Military IjAnds — Ohio Comi'any's 1'urchase — The Germ of Ohio
■ — I )oNA'i'ioN Tract — Symmes Purchase — Refugioe Tract — French
Tract — Canal J^ands — School Ijands — Other Public Tracts.
During- tlie forty years preceding the close of the Revolutionary war,
tlie lakes region and tlie Vadey of the Oliio weretiie great hatth,' gi'ounds
contested l)y the Fi-eneh, Fnglisli and Aiiierieans, witli tlieir respective
Indian allies. Altiiougli the French claimed the land hy vii'tue of dis-
covery and exploration and seventy years of loose oceupane)', the Eng-
lish, as later adventurers, laid claim to the rich and heautiful valley
through their j)o\\'erful red allies, the Six Nations. This claim was of
rather dubious strength, considering that the Ohio Valley and the vast
domain included witliin its meshes were never in xindispiited possession
of the L'ocpiois. But the English point of contention was tiiially i)ressed
home through force of English arms and diplomacy.
The second distinct phase of the international contentions over tlie
Ohio Valley and the territory to the nortliwest of it hinged on the con-
flict lietween Great Britain and her American colonies, with the result
wliich is world's histoiy. The wi-iler will therefore (irsl enter into
certain essential details regarding the discovery, clashes at arms and
uncertain ()cc'U|)ancy ol' the country hi'oadly designated as the Valley
27
28 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
of the Oliio previous to the cstaltlisliineiit of a gliostly civic body over
tlie vast territory iiortliwest of the Oliio Ifiver hy tiie Ordiiiaiiet! of 1787.
(jiiKvv IIisToiiic Watekway.s
The explorations of Marquette, Joliet and LaSalle from New France
to the Mississippi Valley, and gi'adually to its nioutli, were conducted
for nearly a decade from 1671^, hut their routes from the (Jreat Lakes to
till! valley of the Great Jfiver were hy way of tlie Wisconsin, the Illinois
and the Wabash — almost eontiinious waterways. There was no such
feasible, fairly continuous and inviting courses through the interior of
Ohio. Actual settlements and even the appearance of the French voy-
ageurs and fur traders were therefore of a later date than like occurrences
in regions farther to the west. But tlie discoveries and explorations of
these fearless French pioneers placed upon the maj) of tlie world the
stupendous Territory of Louisiana wliich contained the smaller regions
included in tlie country of the (Jreat J^akes and Valley of tlie Ohio.
FuKNcii ScmcMic OF Colonization
After the tour of exploration by Marquette and Joliet and tlie unsuc-
cessful etfort at colonization by LaSalle, tlie French, still ardent in their
])urpose of securing possession of the fertile lands east of the Mississippi,
■finally had the satisfaction of seeing a comprehensive scheme of coloniza-
tion established by ]\L D 'Iberville, who is considered the founder of
French authority in Louisiana. lie was sent with an expedition com-
prising four ships and two hundred settlers to explore the mouth of the
^lississippi. This he did, erecting a fort on what is now tlie southern
shore of the State of j\Iississipi)i and which was afterward abandoned
for one on the west bank of the ]\Iol)ile Kiver. Later he built fortifica-
tions at a point corresponding to the City of Natchez, protected the set-
tlers from the incursions of the English, and in other ways strengthened
the French claim to the Valley of the JMississippi.
French Nohtiiwest Terhitory
Previous to the year 1725 the Colony of Louisiana had been divided
into quarters, each having its local government, but all subject to the
(•(iiincil general of fjouisiana at (Quebec. One of these (|iiarfers included
the territory nortiiwest of the Ohio Iviver.
At this time the Fi'encii had ennded forts on the upjxir Mississippi,
on tlie Illinois, on the Maumee and on the fjreat Lakes. Communication
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 29
witli (Canada was cliicfiy tliiou,i,'li Lake Micliif^aii, l)ut liiiioro 1750 u
Freiicli ])().st liad Ijccm TofliliiMl at the luoulli of tin; Wahasli, and a roiit(.'
to New France was established tlirouj^li that river and tlie Waiuaee
of the Lakes. The French had. now established a chain of foi'ts from
the mouth of the JMississippi up the valley and its chief connectinjj
waterways with the Oreat Lakes, along tlie shores of the lakes and up
tile Ohio Valley to the Englisli settlements of the Allegheny region.
Formally Claim Louisl\na
Tlie l']nglish l)ecame alarmed at this systematic occupancy of interior
America, especially as the French took formal possession of Louisiana
in 1741). This was done by the burial of leaden plates ))y the royal
emissai'ics sent from New France, in connnand of Celoron de Bienville,
their locations in the Ohio country lu'ing at the junction of the river by
that name with the Rlississippi, and at the mouths of the nuiin tributary
streams of the Ohio. That found at the mouth of the Kanawha in
March, 1846, nearly a century after it was placed there by the French
commandant, has been translated as follows: "Jn the year 174!), of the
I'eign of Louis XV of France, we, Celoron, commandant of a detaciuaent
sent by the IManiuis de la Galissoniere, Captain (Jeneral of New France,
in order to re-establish tran<iuility among some villages of savages of
these parts, have buried this i)late at the mouth of the river Chi-no-da-
hicli-e-tha, the ISth August, near the I'iver Ohio, otherwise Beautiful
River, as a monument of renewal of possession, which we have taken
of the said river Ohio, and of all those which empty themselves into it,
and of all the lands of both sides even to the sources of said rivers; as
have enjoyed, or ought to have enjoyed, the preceding kings of France,
and that they have maintained themselves there by force of arms and by
treaties, especially by those of Ryswick, of Utrecht and of Aix-la-
Cliapelle."
Altogether, Celoron planted six plates at the mouths of the various
Ohio ti-ibutaries, as of the Kanawha, JMuskingum and the Great ]\Iiami,
signifying a renewal of possession of the country. This was done as
follows: TTis men were drawn up in order; JiOuis XV was proclaimed
lord of all that I'egion ; the arms were stamped on a sheet of tin nailed
to a tree; the plate of lead was buried at the foot, and the notary of the
ex[)e(lilioii (li'ew up a foi'iiial aet^ of tlu- entire procee<lings.
Enolisif Skrvk Notici': ()!■' Possicssion
For several years pi'cviously the English had sei'ved notices on their
rivals that they would dispute iiossession of the Ohio Valley; in fad.
30 HISTORY OF LORAIN COHXTV
tliiit llic Six Niitioiis owned it hy I'i^'lit of i-oiKiucst mid liiid phiccd it,
under their proteetion. Some ol' the westei'n J;inds weru claimed liy tlu;
Hritisli as liavint,' l)een actually i)Ui'cliased at Jjancastor, I'eiiiisylvaiiia,
in 1744, by a treaty between tiie colonists and the Six Nations. About
tlie limo tile Frencli gave tlie world notice tliat they claimed JjOuisiaiui,
tli(; English I'onned the Ohio Company for tiie purpose of establishing
trading posts among the Iiulians.
First Ohio Company and Agent Gist
From October, 1750, to May, 1751, Christopher Cist, a land surveyor
and agent of the Ohio Comi)an3' (an association of ^Maryland and Vir-
ginia gentlemen organized to buy lands in the Ohio Valley), exploivd
the country adjacent to the main river and at various points some dis-
tance inland. As he kept a journal of his travels, it is evident that ho
found a number of traders on the ground, botii French and English,
the whole region being in the throes of the conflict between the people
of the rival nations. In December, 1750, he reached an Indian town a
few miles above tlie mouth of the ^Muskingum, inhabited by AVyandots,
who, he says, were divided in their allegiance between the French and
the Englisli. The village consisted of about 100 families.
George Crogiian
George Croghan was the leading English trader of that region, and
had lioisted the English colors at the post. While ]\Ir. Gist lingered
tliere, stoi-ies came in of the capture of I\Ir. Croghan 's men by Frencli-
men and their Indian allies. He was invited to marry into the ti'ibe, l)ut
delicately declined. In January an Indian trailer came to town and
informed the English tradi-rs that the Wyandots of the Lake Erie region
had advised him that the region around the great lakes was claimed by
the Frencli, but that all the branches of the Oiiio belonged to them and
their brotliers, the English; tiiat the French liad no business there, and
it was expected that the southern bi'anch of the Wyandots would desert
the French and come over bodily to the English.
In the Land of the Dklawahks
i\Ir. Croglnin was aflerwai'd appointed deputy Indian agent. On
tile 15th of January, 1751, he and Andrew i\Iontour, an influential man
among the Delawares and Sluiwiiees, accompanied Mr. Gist in his visit
to an Indian town at flic mouth of the Scioto and to the towns on the
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 31
]ii<,' I\Iiaini. Tlieir trip to the Valley of the .Scioto and down the river
to its month is descrii)('d in ]\Ir. Oist's joni-nai. Under chite of Jannaiy
15, ITni, h(! says: "We lel't jMnskinf^inii and wt-nt live miles lo the
While Woinan's ereek, on wineh is a small town. Tins white woman
was taken away from New England when she was not above ten years
old by the French Indians. She is now upwards of fifty; has an Indian
husband and several children. Her name is i\Iary Harris. She still
remembers they use to be very religious in New England, and wonders
how the white men can be so wicked as she has seen them in the woods.
"Wednesday, 16: Set out .southwest twenty-five miles to Licking
creek. The land from j\Iuskingum is rich and broken. Upon the north
side of Licking creek aijout six miles from its mouth, were several salt
licks or j)onds, formed by little streams or di'ains of water, clear, but
of blueisii color and .salty taste. The tradei's and Indians boil their
meats in this water, \,hich, if proper care is not taken, will sometimes
make it too salty to cat."
The course was west and .southwest from Licking Creek to (rock-
hocking, a small Delaware town, and thence to the Ujjper Scioto, which
was descended for about twenty miles to Salt Lick Creek. On the 2.3th
he traveled twenty-eight miles, all the way thi'ough a country occupied
by the Delaware Indians, and on Sunday arrived at om- of their towns
on the southeast side of the Scioto, about five miles from its mouth.
Thi.s, Mr. Cist says, was the last of tiie Delawai'e towns to the westward.
He renuiined a few days at that locality, held a council with the friendly
Indians who made several speeciies. He continues: "The Delaware
Lidians, by the liest accounts I could gather, consist of about five hun-
dred iighting men, all firmly attached to the English interests. They
are not i)roperly i)art of the Six Nations, but are scattered about among
most of the Lidians on the Ohio, and some of them among the Six
Nations, from whom they have leave to hunt ui)on their land."
At the time of Cist's visit the Delawares had commenced to come
into notice as an expanding tribe or Indian nation in much of the
tei-ritoi'V now embraced in Northeastern and Eastern Ohio. They were
an eastei-n people, had been ti'aditional enemies of the lro(piois iiy whom
they were crowded beyond the Allegiienies, but in their western home
]-ose into power with the permanent decline of their old-time rivals and
eon(pierors. I'.y the coiiimencemeni of tile eighleeuth century, the Dela-
wares were a. densely settled nation wlio.se teiwitory virtually stretched
from the Dliio to Lake lOr'ie, with the center of their jiower in the iijjper
Muskingum and Tusc'arawas.
32 iri.STORY OK LORAIN COUNTY
Fkf^ncu and English Ci.asii
Al'lcr IIk; I'ctur-ii of Mr. Oist tli(r Ohio (Joiiipiiiiy proceeded to tiik(;
possession oi' tile lands they elaiiiied on the Ohio and establislied a trad-
iiijj house on tlie liig Miami about a luuidrod miles from its mouth. Early
in 1752 the French heard of this proceeding and sent a military expedi-
tion to the Indians demanding the surrender of tlie P]nglish traders as
intruders upon the French lands. As the demand was i-efused the post
was attacked by the French, assisted by the Ottawas and. Chippewas.
After a tierce engagement, during which fourteen Indians were killed,
the trading house was captured and destroyed and the Englishmen car-
I'ied as prisoners to Canada. This was considered the first settlement
in tile Ohio Valley which approached permanency.
In the following year Washington, with Gist as liis guide, had recom-
mended the erection of an English fort upon the present site of Pitts-
burgh, and the fiercest conflicts between the rivals for the possession of
tile Ohio Valley were waged in that vicinity for tiie capture of Fort
Du(^)uesiie, the military heachiuai'ters of the French.
The Dei.awaues ]\I()vk WKSTWAinjLY
The Delawares, by the middle of the eighteenth century, or at the
commencement of the French and Indian war, were most numerous in
the Valley of the Tuscara>\'as, Eastern Ohio, but thirty years later the
center of their strength was near the present center of the state, in the
region of the county which bears their name.
By liie beginning of the nineteenth century tin.' several ti'ibes, whose
territories \\-ere (|uiti' clearly defined iifty years iireviously, had com-
mingled iis a means of defense against the common wiiite enemy, and
as the shores of Lake lOrie and Valley of the Ohio became fringed with
the cabins and villages of the pale faces, the tribal lines of the rM men
lu'canie more and moi'e oblitei-ated. In Xortheni, lOastern and Central
Ohio, where the Delawares and Sliawiiees once held almost undisputed
sway, there were now to be found also Ottawas, Wyandots, ]\Iingoes
and even :\riamis from the western border. The Ottawas and the Wyan-
dots were especially partial to the Lake Erie region or the northern
regions of what was to become the Western Reserve.
This commingling and union of the Ohio Indians I'csulted largely
from tlieii- experiences in the Fiviieh and Indian war of liry'y-G-i. The
pi'omi)t action of the h'reneh in desti-oying the JMiglish trading i)ost on
the Big ?iliami and taking its occupants to (Canada as jirisoners of war
brought eountei- action from the British government. Farly in the
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY^ 'M
spriii;^ of 1755 (Jeiicral linuldoek, witli a ('Oiisiderable Toree, was sent
to take possession of tlie Oiiio country. His terrible defeat near Fort
l)u(^ucsn(' was rollowcd \ty a fruitless expedition, the ycai' alter, vvliieh
was dircetiMl aj,'ainst tlie Indian towns on the Oliio. Finally, in 1758,
the Freiieli were expelled from Fort DuQuesno, and in 1763 France
ceded to Great Britain all her North American settlements. The Britisli
then gave their attention to the defiant Indians.
In 17C4 General Bradstreet, having dispensed the Indian forces be-
sieging Detroit, passed down into the AVyandot country by way of
SandiLsky Bay. Having ascended the bay and river as far as possible
in boats, the party encamped and concluded a treaty of peace witli the
representatives of many of the Indian tribes.
Bouquet 's Expedition
But tlie Shawnees of the Scioto River and the Delawares of the
Mu.skingum continuetl hostile. For the purpose of subduing or placating
them. Colonel Bouquet was sent from Fort Pitt into tlie heart of the
Ohio country on the ]Muskingum River. This expedition was conducted
with great prudence and skill ; but few lives wei'e lost, a treaty of peace
was effected with the Indians about a mile from the forks of the ]\Ius-
kinguin, but not before all the white prisoners, amounting to some
.'500, had been delivered to the colonel and his force.
Accompanying Colonel Boucpiet as an engineer was Thomas Ilutchins,
who afterward l)ecame geographer of the United States. Mr. Ilutchins
drew a map of the country through which the expedition passed. It
was pul)lished in London two years after the return of the expedition
and covers much of the territory now emiiraeed in Eastern Ohio.
Various expeditions were sent against the Hclawares, AVyandots and
Iroquois of "Western Pennsylvania, Virginia and Eastern Ohio in 1774,
and as they were chieHy under the direction of Lord Dunmore, gov-
ernor of Virginia, they are usually designated as " Dunmore 's war."
Lord Dunmore 's march took him up the Hocking Valley and over into
wiuit is now Pickaway County, where, in the fall of 1774, he made a
li'ealy with all the hostile Indians at Camp Charlotte, near the present
site of Circleville.
SiiAWNicK.s Last to Suuukndku
During and after the Revolutionary war, various American exi)edi-
tioiis were sent a^alust the warlike? Shawnees, but the scenes oi' tliese
forays and ei»nllicts were in the upper Vidley of tlie Scioto. In 1771'
Ill vs. (I'
34 HISTORY OF J.OKAIX COUNTY
CoJonel Bowman heiulod au expedition against tlieiii, and their village
ol' Ciiillieotlie waf? burned; liiit tlie Sliawnee wari-iors .showt'd an un-
daunted iroiit and the whites were J'oreed to retreat. Jji tlie summer
of tlie following year (Jeneral Clarke led a body of Kentuekians against
the iShawnees. On their approaeh the Indians burned Chillieothe them-
selves and retreated to their town of Piqua, six miles below the present
site of Springfield. There they gave battle and were defeated. In
Septemher, 1782, this officer led a second expedition against them and
destroyed their towns of Upper and Lower Piqua, in what is now
Miami County. Other expeditions from Kentucky were directed against
the stubborn Shawnees of the upper Scioto Valley antl along the .Miami
rivers farther west, these eonHiets covering 1786-8.
A NouTiiwEST Territory Assured
In the meantime, by the treaty of Paris concluded between Great
liritain and the United States in 1783, the western boundary of the
United States was declared to be the Mississippi instead of the Ohio
IJiver. The British commissioner stoutly contended that the Ohio was
Its legitimate limits; but sturdy John Adams, the American repre-
sentative, carried the day for the Missi.ssi])pi Kiver, thus saving for liis
countrymen the splendid Xorthwest Ten-itory.
Lifting of Jnui.vn and St.\te Titles
The next great step in the l)uilding of the nation was to satisfy the
land claims of the origuial occupants of the soil. Tiie fii-st negotiations
were with the Six Nations of the East. Finally, at Fort Staiiwix, in
October, 1784, the Mohawks, Onondagas, Senecas, Cayugas, Oneidas and
Tuscaroras ceded all their claims to the western lands to the Govern-
ment of the United States. But citizens could not settle in that great
domain until every other Lidian title was lifted, and the individual
states also relincjuished tiieir claims. By the year 3786 all the eonnnon-
weallhs of the Union had ceded their claims to the General Government;
then remained tiie task of extinguishing the Indian claims other than
those ceded by the Six Nations. Elforts had been contiinious since the
conclusion of peace with Great Britain. But the problem was a difficult
one.
The Indian tribes were allies of the English, with such minor excep-
tions as the Moravian Indians, or Chi'istian Delawares of Lake Erie
\u-ii'wn and the Muskingum and Tuscarawas valleys, and did not sur-
render their homes without a struggle. For several yeai's their was a
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 35
•Series of liostile iiioveiiicnts iiiul imnieroiis aets of I'cveiigc, ))ut about
1780, wlieii tlie (leiiei-al (Jovei'iimciit liad adjusted all tlie state elaiiiis,
a conciliatory j)olicy was adopted toward llic Indians, and l»y a series
of j)ureliiises and treaties, uia<i(^ at, various dates, tlieir titles were ]»eace-
ably extinfjuisiied. It is a faet worthy oi" note and ])rid(', that the title
to every foot of (Jiiio soil was honorably acquired from the Indians.
Loud Dunmohe's Sc^uattehs
Hut for more than a decade "squatters" had planted themselves
ill the fertile soil of the Ohio Valley. Wiieii Lord Dunmore's army of
1,200 men was disbanded at the month of the Hocking Kiver in 1774,
there is nuicli evidence that not a few of them saw that the land was
good to look upon and decided to occupy it. At least, in January, 1785,
when the commissioners appointed by the (jovcnuneiit to treat with
the Delawares and Wyandots arrived in the Oliio country they found
white settlements at Hocking Falls, at the Muskingum, tlie Scioto and
]\Iiami, and along the north bank of the Ohio. The largest appeared to
have been Hocking, and there was quite a town on the .Mingo Bottoms
oj)posite what is now Wheeling.
The Indian comnu.ssioners, George Rogers, Richard Butler and
Arthur Lee, wen; compelled to cea.se Jiegotiations with the Delawares
and Wyandots until all the lands west of the Ohio were di.spos.sessed
of the whites. Ensign John Armstrong was sent by Colonel Ilarmer to
drive the wliite invaders from Indian soil, and by March most of them
had left the country, although .some failed to leave and kept hilling
ujitil the titles to the lands w-ere made clear.
In 1784, ten years after the disbandment of Dunmore's army at
the mouth of the Hocking River, Congress passed an ordinance for the
govei-nment of the Northwest Territory, all claim to which had been
reliiKiuished l)y CJreat Britain. So far as the organization of any civil
govei-innent under it is concerned, it was a dead letter, but under its
general provisions one very important stop was taken toward the realiza-
tion of the white man's order and the security of property rights. On
i\Iay 20, 1785, a supplementary ordinance was passed for the survey
of the western lands. 1954138"
A.MKuiCAN System oe Land Siiuvkvs
A siii'veyor was ebosen from each slate winch oi'iginally laid claim
to the doiiiairi west of the Alleghenies, who was lo act under the geog-
rapher' of IIk' I'nited Stales, Thomas llulchins, in laying olV Ihe laud
y6 lIlSTOliY OF LORAIN COUNTY^
into townships of six miles s(iuare. The geograplier was instructed to
designate tlie townships l)y nuinhers, from south to nortli, and tlie
rangi'S were to he inimhei-etl from east to west. It is tliis simi)le system
of dcscrihiiig land that has heen followed hy the (Jovernment and private
surveyors ever since, and may be called the American system. The
survey of the western lands was well under way at the time of the
passage of the permanent and living ordinance of 1787, which has been
described as "the last gift of the Congress of the old Confederation
of the people of the States."
Tub Public Lands
When Ohio was admitted into the Federal LInion as an independent
state, one of the terms of admission was that the fee simple to all the
hauls within its limits, excepting those previously granted or sold,
should vest in the United States. Different portions of them at divers
l)eriods were granted or sold to various individual companies and bodies
politic.
The following were the names by which the principal bodies of these
lands were designated on account of the different forms of transfers:
1. Congress Lands.
2. Connecticut AVestcm Reserve.
\i. Fire Jjands.
4. IJiuted States JMilitary.
5. Virginia Military.
G. Ohio Company's Purchase.
7. ]3onation Tract.
8. Symmes Purchase,
f). IJefugee Tract.
10. Flench Grant.
These ten principal bodies of pul)lic lands are noted and described,
with the accompanying map, that tiie reader may obtain a clear idea
of their comparative importance in the development of tlie state. It
will be seen that willi the excei)tion of the Congress and the Virginia
I\lilitary lands, lliosc included in the Western Reserve constituted the
lai'gest hotly and, in view of its favorable i)osition adjacent to the well-
settled di.slriets of Western Pennsylvania and to easily-acce.ssi])le regions
of Lake ICrie, it was the cream of the territory northwest of Ihe Ohio
River.
CoNdltKSS Lan'ds
In 1S2!), then, the following descriptions of lliese eliief divisions
<il' |)iiiili(; lands within tlie State of Ohio were correct : "Congress lands
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 37
iii-i' so called l)ocause they are sold to purchasers by the iiniiiediate officers
of the General Government, confonnahle to sn(;h laws as are, or may be
fiom Hmk; to time, enacted ))y Congress. They are all regularly sur-
veyed into townships of six miles scjuarc ea<'li, under autlioi'ily and at
1lie expense of the National (government. In tli(; eastern half of the
state — that is, east of the Scioto river and of a mcritlian line drawn
lliree miles within the ea.sterii limits of Marion and (,'rawford counties —
the ranges are counted from east to west, and the numl)ers of the town-
ships from south to north, beginning on the Ohio river as a base. But
in the west half of the state, the ranges begin on the state line of Indi-
ana and are counted eastwardly until they reach the other ranges, which
are numbered westwardly, as above mentioned; excepting lictwcen the
two ]\Iiami rivers, where the ranges run from south to north and the
nuiidiers of the townships from west to east — that is, fi-om the Great
]\Iiami river as a base. In the pui'chase made in 1818 north of the
Greenville Treaty line, however, a base line is made in about the middle
of the tract on the parallel of the forty-first degree of north latitude,
from which the townships are numbered both north and south. The
townships are again subdivided into sections of one mile sipiare, each
containing 640 acres, by lines running parallel with the township and
range lines.
"In establishing the township and sectional corners, a post is first
planted at the point of intersection ; then on the ti'ee nearest the post and
standing within the section intended to be designated, is numbered with
tile marking iron, Ihe range, townshii) and muiiber of the .section.
"Section No. 16 of every lownshii) is perpetually reserved for the
use of the schools and leased und(;r the state government. All tlie others
may lie taken up either in sections, fractions, halves, (juarters or half
quarters.
The Eioiit L.\nd Distiucts
"For the purpose of selling out these lands, they are divided into
eight land districts, called after tin; names of the towns in which the
ol'lices are kept, namely: Woostctr, Steid)('nville, Zanesville, Marietta,
Chilli(-othe, Cincinnati, Pi<pui and Tiffin.
"Ciiillicothe Land Disti'ict is composed of the seven westernmost of
the Iwcnty-two j-angcs of townships of (!ongress lands south of th(^
Kefugce tract, and therefore extends from said Ivefngee tract on the
nortli to the Ohio river soutii, and from the Zanesville land district and
Ohio f'ompany's Purchase on the east to the Scioto river on the west.
It ineliKJes parts of l^'i'aidvlin, l^'airlield, I'ickaway, ivoss, Athens, liock-
38 HISTORY OF LOIJAIN COUNTY
iii^', Jackson, Ijawi'cMicc, Pike, Sciolo and (Jallia eouiitics, l)iit not cntii'oly
lliL' wliolo of any.
" (,'iiicinnati Ijand Distcict coiiijH'iscs that ])ortion oi' tlio southwi'stijrii
quarter of the stale honiuled hy tlie old Gireeiiville ti'oaty line on tlie
iiortli. the Ohio river soutii, the V'^irgiiiia Military Traet and Syiunies
Purchase east and the Indiana state line west; and also that part of tlie
state of Indiana lying east of a lirie run directly from opposite the
mouth of the Kentucky river to Fort Recovery, at the northwest corner
of Darke county. It includes all of Miami, Darke, Prehle, Montgomery,
and considerahle portions of Shelby, Logan, Champaign, Clark, Green,
Warren, Putler and Hamilton counties, Ixisides all of Dearborn, and
parts of Switzerland, Franklin, Union, AVayne, Ranaolph and Adams
counties, in the state of Indiana. This district is not probably, excelled
by any other in the westei-n country in the fertility of its soil, especially
for tlie production of wheat, and the number and goodness of the various
mill scats abounding ui)on its almost infinitely muncrous .streams aiul
rivulets.
"^Marietta Land District is small, embracing only parts of Belmont,
JMonroc and Washington counties. There are no rivers or streams of
any considerable magnitude, excepting the Ohio river, which washes
its whole southeastern limits.
"Pi(|ua Uaiul District is in the northwest quarter of the state, ad-
joining Michigan territory north, the Tiffin district east, Cincinnati
district south, and the state of Indiana west. It cnd)races the first eight
ranges of townships in the land purchased of the Indians in 1818. It
is forty-eight miles broad, from east to west, and, upon an average,
cighty-hve miles long from north to south, endjracing an area of al)0ut
-1,080 sipuire miles, or 2,611,200 acres of land. This computation, how-
ever, includes all the Indian reservations at Wappakouetta on Hlanch-
ai'd's I'ork on the Auglaize, and on St. Mary's rivers — altogether about
120,000 acres, thereby leaving about two aiul a half million acres sold,
and to be sold by the general goveriniient in this district. It is not yet
mucii settled, but the Ohio Legislature, in 1820, to set at rest antici])ated
future trouble in i)ai'tielling it out into counties, divided it into seven
districts to which they attacheil the names of Allen, Putnam, Henry,
Williams, Paulding, Van Wert and IMerct'r, to be organized into separate
counties, whenever sufficiently settled. Reside which, about one hun-
dred and fifty s(|nare miles of the disti-ict falls wilhin the linuts of
Shelby county. .Vone of these coniities ar'c, however, yet organized,
excepting i\Iereer and Williams, il is watered by the J\laumee, Auglaize
and St. Mary's rivers, besides their numerous branches. The I'oute for
the confenqihifed !\liami canal rinis centrally through this disti'ii't. It
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 39
must, tluTc'fore, witliin twenty years, beeoine a populous and iinportaut
section of the state.
"Steuhenville district includes all CoUind)iana, -JelVerson and Har-
rison, and parts of Stark, Tuscarawas, Guernsey, and Belmont coun-
ties. It contains extensive bodies of valuable laml. A consideral)le
portion of tlie district, however, is very hilly, and of an indiH'erently
good soil, ft has some salt si)rings, iron ore, and abundance of stone
coal.
"Tiffin district is composed of the nine easternmost ranges of town-
ships in the Indian purchase of the year 1818. It extends from iMich-
igan territory and Lake Erie ou tlie north, to the old Greenville treaty
line south, a)id from the Connecticut "Western Reserve and tlie Wooster
district on the east, to the Pi(iua district on the west, comprising about
two antl a half millions of aci'es. it is nearly eighty miles long, north
and .south, and fifty-four broad from east to west, and eird)races all of
Sandusky, Seneca, Hancock and AVood, and the greater part of Craw-
ford, iMarion and Hardin counties. It is watered by the Maumee,
Portage, Sauilusky, Scioto and Whetstone rivers; and by Touisanl,
iVIuddy, Muscalunge, Green, AVolf, Tymoehtee and Honey creeks, and
lilanchard's fork of the Auglai/e river. A considerable portion of the
land in Crawford and JMarion counties is open ])rairie,' called 'the
Sandu.sky ])lains. ' In Sandusky and Wood comities, boi-dering upon Lake
Erie, much of the land is low and marshy. Hut taking this whole region
of country together, it may be considered fertile and valuable. The
land oiifice is kept at Tiffin, to which i)lace, in 1828, it was removed, from
Delaware, where it was formerly kept. It was therefore, formerly,
called Delaware district.
"Wooster district includes the whole of Richland, and Wayne, and
parts of Stark, Holmes, and Knox counties, and a strip of three miles
wide off from the east end of Crawford and jMarion counties. This is
generally a hilly district of country, and comprises the highest region
of land in the state. The land office is kept at Wooster, but during, and
previously to the last war, it was kept at Canton, from which circum-
stance it was then called Canton di.striet. Salt springs, stone coal, and
some iron ore are found in this district.
"Zanesville district embraces the whole of Morgan and parts of
Perry, ]\Iuskingum, Guernsey, Monroe and AVashington counties. In
Washington county, however, it includes only the six miles S(|iiare town-
ship (>r Aiirclius. I'>iil as there are a great many (piarter lowiisliips in
the eastern half of tlu^ United States' Military lands, which have not
been wanteil, to satisfy those warrants for which they were originally
appi'opriatcd, these (|uarter townships have been surveyed, by the gen-
40 iriSTOKY OK J.()J{A1N COUNTY
eral yovenmieiit, into sections of 640 acres eacli ; and sucli lands situ-
ated within tin; first, eleven rant,M's of said United States i\lililary lands,
arc sold, as oilier conKress lands nvc, at. the Za/iesville land ollie.e, and
may therefore he considered as eonstitntint^ a j)arl of this district. In
this view of tlio suhjeet, all .Muskingmn anil Coshocton counties will
fall within its limits, and parts of Licking, Knox, Holmes, and the greater
jKirt. of Tuscarawas, and fiuernsey counties. This district is generally
hilly, and comparatively of a poor soil. But, as it is excellently well
watered, by the Muskingum river and its numerous branches, well suited
for various mills; lias the Ohio grand canal passing througii it; and
has inexhaustible beds of stone coal, iron 'ore, and abundance of salt
springs, it has already become a populous and wealthy ])Ortion of the
state; anil is rapidly improving.
"The '.seven ranges' of townships, are a portion of the Congress
land.s, so called, being the first ranges of public lands ever surveyed, by
the general government, west of the Ohio river. They are bounded on
the north by a line drawn due west from the Pennsylvania state line,
where it crosses the Ohio river, to the United States Military lands,
forty-two miles; thence south to the Ohio river, at the southeast corner
of Marietta township, thence up the river to the place of beginning.
It comprises all of Jefferson, Harrison and Belmont counties, the greater
part of Monroe, and parts of Washington, Guernsey, Tuscarawas, Stark
and Columbiana counties. These ranges compose all of Marietta, and
a considerable part of Steubenville land districts.
The "Western Re.serve in 1829
"Connecticut Western Reserve, oftentimes called New Connecticut,
is situated in the northeast quarter of the state, between Lake P^rie on
the north, Pennsylvania east, the parallel of the 41st degree of north
latitude south, and Sandusky and Seneca counties on the west. It
extends one hundred and twenty miles from east to west, and, upon
an average, fifty miles from north to south, although, upon the Penn-
sylvania line, it is sixty-eight miles broad from north to south. The
area is about 3,800,o6o acres. It is surveyed into townships of five miles
square each. A body of half a million acres is, however, stricken off
from the west end of the tract, as a donation, by the state of Connecticut
to certain sufferers by fire in IIk; Revoliitionai'y war. These laiuls con-
stitute Huron county.
"New Connecticut is divided into the eight counties of Ashta1)ula,
Truiid)ull, Portage, (Jeauga, Cuyahoga, Lorain, ]\Iedina and Huron ; and
is i)rincij)ally settled l)y emigrants from the states of Massachusetts and
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 41
Connoeticut. In 1820 these counties contained, in tlie ii<?{?i'egate, abont
57,000 inliahilarits, wliictli luive since considerably iiio'cascul.
'"I'lic maimer by wiiich (yonnecticiit became possessed of Ibe land in
'luestion, was the following: King Ciiark's II, of England, pursuing
the example of his brother kings, of granting distant and foreign regions
to his subjects, granted to the then colony of Connecticut, in 1662, a
charter right to all lands included within certain specified bounds.
]?ut as tlie geographical knowledge of Europeans concerning America
was then very limited and confused, patents for lands often interfered
with each other, and many of them even by their express ternis, extended
to the Pacific ocean or South sea, as it was then called. Among the rest,
that for Connecticut enibi-aced all lands contained between the forty-
tiist and forty-second parallels of north latitude, and from Providence
plantations on the east to tlie Pacific ocean west, with tlie exception of
New York and Pennsylvania colonies; and, indeed, pretensions of these
were not finally relinquished without considerable altercation. And,
after tiie United States became an independent nation, these interfering
claims occasioned much collision of sentiment between them and the
state of Connecticut, which was finally compromised, by tlie United
States relinquishing all their claims upon, and guaranteeing to Con-
necticut the exclusive right of soil to the ;5, 800, 000 acres now described.
The Uniletl States, however, by tiie terms of comi)romise, reserved to
themselves the riglit of jurisdiction. They then united this tract to
the territory, now state of Ohio.
Fire Lands
"Fire Lands, a tract of country so called, of aliout 781 square miles,
or 500,000 acres, in the western part of New Connecticut. The name
originated from the circumstance of the* state of Connecticut having
granted these lands in 1792, as a donation to certain sufferers by fire,
occasioned by the English during our IJevolutionary war, particularly at
New London, Fairfield and Norwalk. These lands include the five
westernmost ranges of the Western Reserve townships. Lake Erie and
Sandusky bay project so far southerly as to leave but the space of six
tiers and some fractions of townships between them and the forty-first
parallel of latitude, or a tract of abont thirty by twenty-.seven miles in
extent. Tiiis tract is surveyed into townships of about five miles scpiare
each; and these townships are then subdivided into four fjuarters. The
principal waters, beside Sandusky bay and Lake Erie, whicii skirt the
whoh; northern boundary, an; Huron and Vermillion rivers, and Cold,
Pipe and IjaChapelle creeks, running northwardly into Sandusky bay.
42 HISTORY OF LOJiAlN COUNTY
Tlie lands are generally pretty fertile and well timbered. They lie
within and eonstitute tlie wliole of Huron eounly. A (;onsideral)le por-
tion oL' the land is owned l)y jion-residenls, and a majority of tliese
ownei'S reside in Coiuieetieut.
United States IMilitauy Lands
"United States I\Iilitary Lands are so called, from the circumstance
of their having been appropriated, by an act of Congress, of the ]st of
June, 1796, to satisfy certain claims of the ofificers and soldiers of the
Revolutionary war. The tract of country embracing these lands, is
bounded as follows : Begiiniing at the northwest corner of the original
seven ranges of townships, thence south fifty miles, thence west to the
Scioto river, thence up said river to the (Jreenville treaty line, thence
northeasterly with saitl line to oUl fort Lawrence on the Tuscarawas
river, tlience due east to the place of beginning; including a tract of
about 4,000 square miles, or 2,560,000 acres of land, it is, of course,
bounded north by the Greenville treaty line, east by the seven ranges of
townships, south by the Congress and Refugee lands, and west by the
Scioto river. These lands are surveyed into townsiiips of five miles
square. These townships were then again, originally, surveyed into
(luarter townships of two and a half miles sciuare, containing 4,000
acres each — and subsecjueiitly, some of these quarter townships were
.subdivided into forty lots of 100 acres each, for the accommodation
of those soldiers, holding warrants for only 100 acres eacii. And again,
after the time originally assigned, for the location of these warrants,
had expired, certain quarter townships which had not then been located,
were divided into sections of one mile sciuare each, and sold by the
general government, like the main body of Congress lands. The greater
part of the following counties are situated in the United States' ^Military
lands; namely, Tuscarawas, (Juernsey, Muskingum, Coshocton, Holmes,
Knox, Licking, Franklin, and Delaware; but not the entire whole of
either; excepting Coshocton. Franklin county, however, is not more
than aliout one fourth, comjiosed of these lands. For a more particular
description of tlie.se lands, the reader is referred to the several descrip-
tions of the above-named counties, respectively, in the sul).se(iuent part
of this voliniie. And for a vu-w of tlu! ranges and townsliii)S, reference
may be had to the author's large i\Iap of the stale of Ohio.
Virginia Militahy Lands
"Virginia Military Tjaiids are a body of land lying between the
Seioto jiiid liittle iMiiniii rivers and bounded ii\' the Ohio river on the
iriSTORY OF LORAIN^ COUNTY 43
soiilli. TIr' stiitc of Vii'j,'iMiii, Iroin tlir iiidcliiiitc iiiid v!i^,'ii(' tcniis <»L'
oxi)iT.s.si()ii, ill its orif(iiial colonial cliartor of territory from Jaiiies 1,
Kiii<^ of Kiigla/id, in tlu' year ]00!), claimed all llie eoiitiiieiit \v< st of
tlie Oliif) river, and of llie north and south hreadth of Virf^inia. hut
finally amoiij^ several other compromises ol' eonfiicdiiij^ claims, which
were made sul)se(iuently to the attainment of our national independence,
Virginia agreed to reliiKpiish all her claims to lanils northwest of the
Ohio river, in favor of the general government, upon condition of the
lands, now descrihed, being guaranteed to lier. The state of Virginia
then appropriated this body of land to satisfy the claims of her state
troops, employed in the continental line, during the Revolutionary war.
This district is not surveyed into townships, or any regular form :
but any individual, holding a Virginia military land warrant may locate
it wherever he chooses within the district, and in such shape as he
pleases, wherever the land shall not previously have been located. In
consecjuence of this deficiency of regular original surveys, and the-
irregularities with which the several locations have been made, and the
consequent interference and encroachment of some locations ui)on others,
more than dou])le the litigation has probably arisen between tlie liolders
of adverse titles in this district, than there has in any other part of
the state of equal extent. It embraces a body of 6,570 scpjare miles,
or 4,204,800 acres of land. The following counties are situated in this
tract : Adams, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Payette, Ilighhuul, IMadison,
and nnion entirely; and greater or less portions of Marion, Delaware,
Franklin, Pickaway, Ross, Pike, Scioto, Hamilton, AVa.rren, Green,
Clark, Champaign, Logan and Hardin.
Ohio Comi'any's Puuciiake
"Ohio Company's Purchase is a l)ody of land (containing al)out
1,500,000 acres, including however the Donation tract, school lands, etc.,
lying along the Ohio river, and including Rfeigs, nearly all of Athens,
and a considerable part of Washington and Gallia counties. Coii-
sideral)ly less tlian 1,000,000 acres was, however, ultimately paid for,
and, of course, patented. This tract was purchased of the General
Govcriinicnt in Ilic year 1787, by Manasseh (Sutler and AVinthrop Ser-
geant from the neigbl)orhood of Salem, IMassachusetts, agents foi' tlie
Ohio ('()iii|»any, so called, which had then been formed in Rlassachnsel ts
for the ])ur])ose of a settlement in the Ohio country. Peside every
section Ifi, set apart, as elsewhere, for the support of schools, every
section 2i) is aiiproi)riated for the su])port of i-eligious institutions. In
addition to wliieh, were also granted 1 wo six miles scpiare townships,
44 IIIRTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY
for tlic use ol" a colk'jjc. But, unfortunately foi' the Ohio Company,
owing to tlu'ir want of toi)OKraj)liieal knowh^-tlge of the country, the
body of land seh'et(Ml Ijy them, with some partial exceptions, is the must
liilly and sterile, of any tract of similar extent in tlie state.
The Gekm of Ohio
"A great portion of the first settlers were revolutionary soldiers,
with their families. They made their first settlement on the Ohio river,
at tlie mouth of the Muskingum, wliere they founded the town of
jMarietta. Tiiis ))eing the first important settlement in the state, is
often referred to, by writers Jind orators, as the nucleous around wiiich
the whole state has suiiseciuently grown. As an instance of this I'hetorical
figure, the following extract is selected from an address, delivered at
Salem, Mas.saehusetts, on the 18th of Sept., 1828, by the lion. Edward
• Everett, on occasion of the Li-eentennial celebration of the first settle-
ment of that town: 'It is just forty years, this summer, since a long
ark-like looking wagon was seen travei'sing the roads, and winding
through the villages of Essex and Middlesex, covered with a black can-
vas, inscribed on the outside, in large letters, "To Marietta on tiie
Ohio." That expedition, under Dr. Cutler of this neigid)Oihood, was
the firet germ of the settlement of Ohio, which now contains near a
million of inhabitants. Forty years have scarce pa.ssed l)y, and this
great state, with all its settlements, imi)rovements, its migiity canals
and growing population, was covered uj), if 1 nuiy so say, under the
canvas of Dr. Cutler's wagon. Not half a century, and a state is in
existence (twice as large as our old Massachusetts), to whom, not old
England, but New England is the land of ancestral recollection.'
Donation Tract
"Donation tract, is a body of 100,000 acres set off in llu; northern
limits of tile Ohio Comjjany's tract, and granted to tlicm by Congress,
provided they should obtain one actual .settler upon each hundred acres
thereof within five years from the date of the grant, and tliat so much
of the 100,000 acres aforesaid as should not thus l)e taken up shall revcirt
to the Ceneral Gov(trnment. This tract may, in .some respects, be con-
sidered a part of the Ohio (!(>mp!iny's purciuise. It is situiited in the
nortiiern linuts of Washington county. It lies in an oblong sliape,
extending nearly seventeen miles fr'om cast to wi'st, and about seven
and (uie-half miles from north to south.
HISTORY OV LOKAIN COUNTY 45
Symmes Purchase
"SyiiniK'.s PureliusL' is ;i tract of ;J11,C82 acres of land, iti llie soiitli-
wcstcni (juartcr ol" tlio slate, between the (jreat and Jjiltle JMiami rivers.
It l)orders on tlie Oliio river, a distance of twejity-seveii miles, and
extends so far back from tiie latter between tlie two JMiamies as to
inclnde the quantity of land just mentioned. It was patented to Jolm
Cleves yyuimes, in 1794, for sixty-seven cents per acre. Every sixteenth
section, or mile scjuare, in each township, was reserved by Congress
for tile use of seiiools, and sections 29 for the support of religious
institutions, beside fifteen aci'cs around Fort AVashington in Cincinnati.
This tract of country is now one of tlie most valuable in the state.
Refugee Tract
"Uefugee Tract, a liody of 100,000 acres of land granted by Con-
gress to certain iiidivitluals who left the British provinces during the
revolutionary war, and espoused the cause of freetloin. It is a narrow
strip of country four and one-half miles broad from north to south, and
extending eastwardly from the Scioto river forty-eight miles. It has the
United States' XX ranges of military or army lanils north, and XX 1 1
ranges of Congress lands .south. In the western borders of this tract,
is situated the town of Columl)us.
Fkencii Guant
"French Grant, a tract of 24,000 acres of land, bordering upon the
Ohio river, in the southeastern quarter of Scioto county. It was granted
by Congress, in ]\Iarch, 1795, to a number of French families who lost
tlieir lands at Gallipolis by invalid titles. It extends from a point
on the Ohio river, one and one-half miles above but oi)posite the mouth
of Little Sandy creek in Kentuek}', extending eight miles in a direct
line down the river, and, from the two extremities of that line, back at
I'ight angles sufficiently far to include the (piantity of land re(|uired,
which somewhat exceeds four and a half miles. Pine or Hale's and
Genet's creeks are tiie principal waters, excepting the Oliio river, whicli
forms its southwestern l)oundary. Although the land in (piestion was
originally granted exclusively to Frenchmen, yet there ai'e not al)ove
eigiit or leu i"'i'eneh families who now reside upon it, the other poilion
of the population being composed of emigrants from ^^'l■mont, New
Hampshire autl other states. Here a postoftice is kei>t called French
Gi'ant office. Tliis tract composes the townsliip of Green, Scioto cnimfy.
46 • HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Moravian Lands
"jMoraviaii lands ai'o tlircc! several tiaets oF 4,(K)() acres eaeh,
originally j^raiited by llie old (Joiitiiientai Coiit^rvss, July, 17H7, and eon-
firmed, l)y tile aet oi" Coiif^i'ess, oT June 1, 17IiG, to the Moravian liretlm^n,
at Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, in trust and for the use of the Chris-
tianized Indians living thereon. They are laid out in nearly sciuare
forms, on the Muskin^im river, in what is now Tuscarawas county.
They are called by the names of the Schoenlirun, (inadenluitten and
Salem tracts. The Indians, however, have now, nearly or (luite all left
them.
Ohio Canal Lands
"Congress, by an aet, passed on the 2-ith of May, 1828, granted to
the State of Ohio, 500,000 acres of land, to aid the state in completing
its extensive canals, now in progress: and also a quantity, 'ecpial to one-
half of five .sections in width, on each side of saiil canal' (meaning the
Miami canal) so far as it passes through the public lands, north of tlie
old (Jreenville treaty line (estimated at one hundred and six miles),
thereby making the cpiantity of land thus granted 340,000 acres (840,000
acres, in all), provided that all troops and property of the United States
transported thereon shall pass free of toll, as in the case of the before-
mentioned Turnpike lands. Tiiey have been selected under the direc-
tion of the Governor of Ohio, chiefly in the Piciua and TifHn distrietn.
For both the Canal and Turnpike lands, the Governor of Ohio is to
make tiie deeds to individual purciiasers.
Sciioob Lands
"By compact Iietween the United States and the state of Ohio, when
the latter was admitted into the Union, it was stipulated, for and in
consideration that the state of Ohio should never tax the Congress
lands, until after they should have been sold five yeai's and in con-
sidei'ation that the ])ublic lands would thereby more readily sell, that
the one thirty-sixth part of all the territory included within the limits
of the state should he set apart for the support of couunon schools
tlieirin ; and, foi- the i)uri)0se of getting at lands, which sliould, in point
(Jf (juality of .soil be on an average with the whole land in the country,
they dcci'ecd tiiat it should be selected, by lot, in small tracts each, to
wit -that it should consist of section ninnbcr Ki, let that .section I)e
good or bad, in every township of Congress lands; also in the Ohio (!oiii-
])aiiy, and in Synnnes' |)urchascs; all of which townsiiips ari' composed
of thirty-six sections each; and for the United Slati's' Military Lands,
lIlSTOJfY OF I.OKAIN COUNTY 47
and Coiiiu'eticul livserve; a muiil)L'r oi' quarter to\vusliii)s, two and oiio-
lialt' miles scuiaro each (heiiiy the NiiiaUcst piil)lie surveys tliereiii, tlieii
made) should l>e selected by the seeretui-y of the tr(;asury, in dilVereut
places throughout the United .Stat(;s Military tract; e'|uivalent, in quan-
tity, to the one thirty-sixth part of those two tracts respectively. And
for the Vii'ginia JMilitary tract, Congress exacted that a quantity of land
equal to the one thirty-sixth part of the estimated (piantity of land
contained therein, should be selected, by lot in what was then called
tile New i'urchase, now composing Kichland, Wayne, and part of
Holmes, and Marion counties, in (piarter township tracts of three miles
square eacii. JMost of these selections were accordingly made, but, iu
some instances by the carelessness of the officers conducting the sales,
or from some- other cause, a few sections 16 have been sold. In which
case. Congress, when applied to, has generally granted other lands in lieu
thereof; as for instance, no section 16 was reserved in Montgomery towJi-
ship, in whieli Columbus is situated, and Congress, afterwards gratited
therefor, section 21 in the township coi'neriug thereon to the southeast.
"Furthermore, as the Virgiiua J\lilitary tract has latterly been found
to be much larger than was formerly supposed, there are not, really,
school lands enough set oft' for tliis district, into two quarter town-
ships, or eighteen sections. Also when the school lands for the Western
lieserve wei'e set oft', the Indian title had not been extinguished any
further west than to the Cuyahoga river; so that Congress has never yet
set oft' any land for that part of the Keserve, west of said river.
"The conse(juence of these, and some other deficiencies, is that we
have, in fact, according to the official report by the state Auditor, in
1826, but 500,74*J acres: whereas, by compact, we are entitled to 711,111
acres; which is the one thirty-sixth part of 25,6UU,0U0, the wliole number
of acres of land, actually in the state : tiiereby leaving a deficiency of
210,362 acres, to which we are yet .justly entitled. The total valuation
of these 500,749 , acres of lands, as appraised, in the year 1825, was
$910,728.
"All these lands are vested in the Legislature, in trust, for the use
of the people for school purposes. And by the adoption of a principle
which many consider incon'eet, the Legislature has sanctioned a prin-
ciple, contended for by the people of certain townships, wherein is an
extraordinary good section — namely, that the said section IG was granted
to them, sjiecificaliy, and not that they are barely entitled to their i)ro-
l)orli()n of the annual ])i'ocecds of all the school lands in the state, which
would seem to be the most reasonable constru(;tion to put upon the
original ij;eneral grant. Tiie original intention of Congi-ess was, no
doubt, that llie total rents or anniuil proceeds of all the lands through-
48 HISTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY
out the state, granted Tor seliool purpose, should be throwu into one
conunon mass, and tlien be annually distributed, by the Legislature,
according to population: if otherwise, they would, doubtless, have set
apart the school lands lor eacii section of country, within its own limits;
for instance, the Vii-ginia IMilitary lands would have had their pro-
portion set off, within their own bounds ; but which is not the case.
"A lair opening is however now presented to the Legislature, for
correcting the former course of proceeding since the school lands, with
the permission of Congress, are all authorized to be sold ; the money for
which they shall sell, to be vested in permanent funds and the interest
only, to be annually distributed for school purposes. It would also
vastly siniplify the iiscal arrangements of the state government, if they
would now adopt this ])road principle of throwing into one common fund
the total products of tiie sales of all the sections 10 tliroughout the
state, all tlie Lhiited States Military, all the Virginia Military and the
Western Reserve school lands, lying within the state ; and then, annually,
distribute the interest of the whole amount among the several counties
according to poi^ulation.
CuLLEGE TuWNSIIIPS
"Collcgi,' Townsliips are tiirce si.x miles si|uare townships granted by
C!()iigivss; two of tliciu to till' Oliio Company, I'oi- tlie use of a college
to be established within tlieir purchase, and one I'or tlie use of the
iniuibitants of Synnnes' purchase. Tiiose two in the Ohio Company's
purcha.se are situated near the center of Athens county, and constitute
tlie principal part of the permanent funds of tlie Ohio university. That
one l)elonging to Synnnes' purchase composes the nortliwe.sternmost
township of Butler county. Its income is appropriated to the Miami
university, which is erected tiiereon. These laiitls are no donations,
but were part of the considerations inducing tlie Ohio company and J. C.
Symmes to make their respective i)urchases.
Ministerial Lands
"Li l)Oth the Ohio Comi:)any and in Symmes' purchases every sec-
tion 2U (('(iiuil to one tliirty-si.xth part of every township) is reserved,
as a permanent fund, for the support of a settled minister. As the i)ur-
chasei's of these two tracts came from parts of the union where it was
customary and deemed neeessai-y to have a I'cgidarly settled clergyman
in every town, they l!iei'eror(! slipidated, in tiieir original pni'ciiase, that
u pei'iiianent fund in hind shoiihl tiius Ix- sr| apari for lliis purpose.
Ill no otlitT pai't oi' the state, othei' liian in liiese two purciiases, are any
hinds set iijiiii'l I'di' this objccl, "
CHAPTER V
DAWN OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
The Ordinance of 1787 — Oiho-IMichigan Boundary Finally Fixed —
First Surveys of Western Lands — How the Reserve Became
National Territory — ]\Iilitary and Civil Friction — First Judi-
ciary — Indians at Last Suudued.
As to the author of the famous ordinance of 1787, credit is now
generally accorded to Dr. IManasseh Cutler, whose depth of scholar-
ship, grace of diction and hreadth of practical al)ility, as well as lofti-
ness of purpose, endowed him with all tlie qualities which breathe
tlirough that nolile document. Undoubtedly, lie embodied the views of
Thomas Jefferson, as expressed in tiie ordinance of 1784, witli his own
commanding personality.
Doctor Cutler had come before Congress to purchase for a company
composed eliiefly of ]Massachusetts men, a large body of public lands.
In the opinion of the associates of the Ohio Company, the purpose would
be virtually useless if uncovered by the guarantee of civil law and order.
The Ordinance of 1787
The ordinance of 1787 was the answer, and the necessary prede-
cessor of tile first substantial colonization of tlie Northwest Territory.
Congress wisely considered that such a colony would form a barrier
against the British and Indians, and that the initial movement would be
speedily followed by other purciiases and extending settlements.
The southern states had even a greater interest in the West than
New England, and Virginia especially was eager for the development
of the country beyond the Ohio. The South in general warmly sup-
ported the planting of colonies of men in the West whose energy and
patriotism were wt'U known; and liiis, notwithstanding the aiili-slavery
provision.
The ordinance jjrovided that there shoukl be formed i'rom the
territory between the Ohio and the ]\Ii.ssissippi rivers and the (lanadian
I'ol. 1—4
49
50 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
hoiiiulary, not less than three and not more than tive states. If only
tliree states were ereeted, tlie westennnost was to be bounded by the
.Mississippi, the Ohio and tlie \Val)ash rivers; a direct lint; drawn from
the Wabash River and Port Vincent (Vincennes) nortii to the inter-
national boundary, and westward along the Canadian line to the Lake
of the Woods and the Mississippi River. Thus Illinois.
The middle state was to be blocked off between the Ohio and the
international boundary, Illinois, and a line drawn due north from the
mouth of the Great Miami to Canada. That was Indiana.
Tlie easternmost state was to be Ohio, whose southern and eastern
Ijoundaries were to be the Oliio River and Pennsylvania, and its northern
limits the Dominion of Canada.
But, as is well known, advantage was eventually taken of the pro-
vision that Congress might form, two other states from the territory
between the Ohio, the .Mis.sissippi and the international boundary, north
of a line drawn east and west from the southernmost bend to Lake Michi-
gan. Under that .proviso were created ^Michigan and AViseonsin, and
the substantial estaljlisinncnt of the boundaries of Ohio as we know
them today.
Oino-MicuiGAN Boundary Finally Fixkd
As it is the duty of the historian to explain any (pialifying word in
his narrative, the author i)auses at this point to explain the term "sub-
stantial establisliment." The qualifying word was used because the
eonelusive survey of the Michigan-Oiiio boundary ami the placing of
the State Line monument was not a matter of liistory \uitil 1015.
It was the original intention, and so incorporatetl in tiie constitu-
tion of the state, that the northern boundary of Ohio should fall north
of the mouth of ]\Iaumee River. Also, if possible, it slmuld be a due
east and west line from the southerly extreme of Lake Llichigan. How-
ever this due east and west line fell some seven miles south of the
:Maumee Bay and a new line from the northerly cape of ^Maumee Bay to
Lake ]\Iichigan was run.
About 1817, (iovernor Cass of Michigan employed "William Harris to
locate the southern boundary of jMichigaiL Through a misunderstanding
he ran the second of the above lines which caused much ill feeling in
]\li(']iigan. In ISIO, Pi-esident ]\lonroe commissioned John Fulton to
I'cUx-ate llie line. He ran tlic east and west line wliich was not at all
pleasing 1() Ohio. I'^inally in 1S:{7, Coiigfcss ordi'ivd llie Harris line
re-rini and, witii tlie view of settling the 1n)\il)le, gave .Michigan the
|)i'esent n|)i>er Peninsula in lien of tlie sir'ip tliey claimed to Inive lost
JllSTORY OK I.OUAIN C()[JNTY
51
by this survey. Tlie old stakes have Jjceii lost and on account of Iho
(level()|)iricnt of llu; country it was deemed necessary to pernuinently
mark the line. Al'lei- s(;v('ral ycai's ell'ort, autlH>i-ity to do the work was
finally f,'ranted by lej^ishitures ol' both .states. Under tiie direction of
C. E. Siiei'inan for Ohio and P. C. Allen for Michigan, the line has becii
re-run and j)eriiianently inomniiented by S. S. (Jannet of the United
States (Jeolof^ieal Survey.
The nionuMieiit at the end of Point Place Koad near Toledo, was
dedicated November 24, 1915, under the auspices of the Toledo Society
of Engineers. On tiie transverse side, cut e(iually l)y the state line.
Sll.\KIN(i IIaN'DS OvKK Till': lNTKI(S'r.\TI'; ]i(tlINI).\UY
(iovenior Feiris, of Mi(lii<,':iii ( iif,'lit) ; Ciovenior Willis, of Ohio (loit).
is the inscription '* State Line. Surveyed by S. S. Oannet, fit'0<>rapher
United States Geological Survey. P.)ir)."
On the .Michigan side: "iMiehigan. Woodbridge N. Ferris, Governor.
Erected by authority of the 48th Legislature, Act .'54, Pul)lic Acts of
P)!;"). Py ]\Iichigan Geological Survey — P. (.'. Allen, Director. Jointly
with the State of Oliio."
On liie Oiiio side: "Ohio. Frank P. Willis, Governor. Ki'ccted
by aulhoi'ify ot the Hist (ieneral .Assembly, Act ol' .May 27, IDlf.. Py
Ohio Geological Survey — ('. P. Sherman, Inspector', .jointly with the
State of I\Iicliigan."
The dedicatory baiKjuet and e.xcreiscs at Toledo, on .\'oveiid)er 24th,
wci'e lliei-el'or'e historic^ events. The speaker's for* Oirio wer'e (Jov. I'^'ank
52 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
E. Willis; Prof. G. F. Wriglit, ivprcscntiiig the Arclieologieal ami
ilistoriciil Society of Ohio; \V. 1<\ Slu-ptliii, of J^'rcmoiit, rciircKciitiiij,'
the Ohio JOii<j;iii('criM^' Socicly; mid (!iii)t. Orriii Henry, of (.'oliuiilxiH,
r('[)n'seiitiii|? tlu; Ohio State Land Oiliee.
For ]\lioiiigaii, spoke Gov. Woodhridge N. Ferris; Rt. Rev. Mgr.
F. A. O'Brien, representing tiie Mieliigan Historical Commission; lion.
Junius K. Jieal, representing tlie Pul)lie Domain Commission, and Prof.
C. T. Jolin.son, representing the Michigan Engineering Society.
There were also present C. E. Siierman and P. C. Allen, respectively
inspector and director of the Ohio and Michigan geological surveys; S.
S. Gannet, geographer of United States Geological Survey ; Frank Rogers
and Clinton Cowen, respectively state higlnvay commissioners of I\Iichi-
gan and Ohio.
FiKST Surveys of Westkkn Lands
As has heen noted, a survey of the western lands had hecn com-
menced under authority of an ordinance passed by Congress in 1785.
Thus authorized, the Government surveyors laid out the first seven
ranges l)ounde(l hy Pennsylvania on the east and the Ohio River on
the south.
How THK Reserve Became National Territory
On the 14th day of September, 1786, the delegates in Congress from
the State of Connecticut, being authorized and directed so to do, relin-
(piished to the United States all the right, title, interest, jurisdiction,
and claim, that she ])osses.sed to the lands lying west of a line running
north from the 41st degree of north latitude to 42 degrees and 2 minutes,
and being 120 miles west of the western line of Pennsylvania. The
territory lying west of Pennsylvania for the distance of 120 miles,
and between latitude 41 and 42 degrees, 2 minutes north, although,
not in terms reserved by the instrument of conveyance, was in fact
reserved — not having been conveyed— and by rea.son thereof was called
the AVestern Reserve of Connecticut. It eml)raced the present counties
of Ashtal)u!a, Trund)ull, Portage, Geauga, Lake, Cuyahoga, jMedina,
Lorain, Huron, Erie, all of Summit, except the townships of Franklin
and (ireen; the two norlhcni 1iers of 1ownshii)s of Mahoning; tlie town-
sliips ol" Sullivan, Ti'oy and Ruggies, of Ashland; and the islands lying
norlh of Sandusky, including Kelley's and l'u1-in-Hay.
In 171)5 Connecticut sold and conveyeii all of Ihe Reserve, excejit the
''SuH'erer's Island," to Oliver Phelps and Ihirty-live others, for the
IIISTOHV OK LORAIN COIJXTY 53
coiisidcratiou of $1,200,000. Those piircliasors formed llieniselves into a
company ealled the Conned icut Land ('om|)any. Somu; uneasiness con-
cerning tin; validily of llie title arose from the fact that whatever
interest Virginia, Massachusetts, or New York may liav(^ had in the
lands reserved and claimed hy Connecticut, liad been transferred to
the United States, and if neither of the claiming states had title, the
dominion and ownership passed to the IJnitW States hy the treaty made
with England at the close of the Revolution. This condition of things
was not the only source of difficulty and trouble. The Reserve was so
far from Connecticut as to nuike it impracticable for that state to extend
her laws over the same, or ordain new ones for the government of the
iidiahitants; and having parted with all interest in the soil, her right
to provide laws for the peo])le was not only doubted but denied. Con-
gress luid provided by the ordiiuuice of 1787 for the govennnent of the
territory northwest of the Ohio; but to admit jurisdiction in the United
States to govern this part of that territory, would cast grave doubt upon
the validity of the company's title. It was therefore insisted that the
regulations prescribed by tliat instrument for the government of the
Xortliwest Territory luul no operation or etfect witliin the limits of the
Reserve. To quiet apjjrehension, and to reiiu)ve all ca\ise of anxiety on
the subject, Congress, on the 28th of A])ril, 1800, authorized the Presi-
dent to execute and deliver on the part of the United States, letters
patent to the governor of Connecticut, whereby the United States
released for the uses named, all right and title to the soil of the Reserve,
and confirmed it unto those who had purchased it from that state. The
execution and delivery, however, of the letters patent were upon the
condition that Connecticut should forever renounce and release to the
L^nited States, entire and complete civil jurisdiction over the territory
released. This condition was accepted, and thereupon Connecticut trans-
ferred her jurisdiction to the United States, and the United States
released her claim and title to the soil ; and thus, while jurisdiction for
purposes of government was vested in the United States, a complete
title to the soil, in so far as the states could give it, was transmitted to
the Connecticut Land (!ompany and to those who had j)urchased from it.
MiiiVrAHy AND Civil; Fhiction
Under llie provisions of the ordinMn<'e, (Jen. Arlhur Si. Clair was
a|)poinled governor of liu; Northwest 'i'errilory, Wintlii'oj) Sargent, sec-
retary, and Samuel U. I'arsons, James TI. Varnnm and .Jolni Armstrong,
j\idges. .ludge y\rmslrong declined the jndiciary and .John Cleves
Symmes was appointed in his place.
54 JIlSTOUr OF l.()I{AIX (JOIINTV
Willi the C'Xce[)tioii of Jiid^c Ryiniiu-s, tlie territorial judges reaehed
Mariclla on tli(^ !Mli of -lidy, 17HS. 'V\\r, I'onnei- joined Ills assoeiiites
Kooii iil'lcr. At lirsl linTe !i|)|)caf.s lo have Itifii Home frielioii Ijclweeii
the gover'iior and I h(r jndifiary. The ehief executive, u irum oi' lonj^
military ti-aitiiug anil experieiiee, called the attention of the judges to
the efficiency of the militia in the conduct of affairs in a new country,
hut tiiey paid no attention to his suggestions. Instead, they formulated
a land-law for dividing and transferring real estate, which was rejected
hy Congress heeause of its general crudities and especially because, under
its provisions, non-resident land holders would have been deprived of
their properly rights.
First Jlidiciauy
(lovernor St. Clair ei-ected a Court of i'robate, established a Court
of Quarter Sessions, divided tlie militia into seniors and juniors, and
in August, 1788, added three justices of the peace to the three whom he
had ai)pointeil during the previous month; the new appointees were
Archibald Cary, Isaac Pierce and Thomas Lord, and they were author-
ized to hold the Court of Quarter Sessions. Keluru Jonathan .Meigs
was clerk of the court.
Ixni.VNS .AT L.\ST SUUDUKL)
Thus did the governor endeavor to maintain a nice l»alanee between
the military, civil and judicial authorities of Wasiiington County and
the Noi'thwest Territory. But the Indians of tin- Northwest, I'ucouraged
and supported by the Hritish, weiv still to lie reckoiied with liefore
white settlers felt at all secure in their possessions or lives. It required
nearly live years of warfare between the American ti'oops and the Indian
warriors, with bloody disaster on both sides, the defeat of St. Clair and
the crushing campaign of ]\Iad Anthony Wayne, before the peace of
17!)5 was effected. Tn that year the twelve tril)es which had given the
most troul)le signed tlie ti-eaty at Greenville. Tiiis was soon followed
by the Hi-ilisii evacuation of all western military posts. Thereafter,
neitlier llie Indians nor the I)i'itish seriously interfered with the s])rea(l
of American sclllenicnt and eivili/ation in the lakes region, northern
Oliio, liie Western l\eserve or Loi'ain (!oiinly.
CHAPTER VI
SECURE UNDER THE LAWS
How THE Reserve Was Sold — Acreage oP the Reserve — Judge Par-
sons, Pioneer Land Buyer — Washington County (1796) Claimed
Jurisdiction — In the Country of Canaiiogue — Wayne County
(1796) — Jefferson County (1797) — Lawless But in Name —
Trumuull County (1801)) Recognized — Period of Civil Comi^lica-
tion.
Before iiulicating how the Western Reserve was gradually brought
under the eivil authority of county government and how its territory,
more speeifieally that of Lorain County, was surveyed, its land titles
cleared and all prepared for the secui'e residence of homehiiilders, a
condensed statement should he given, showing who were the original
purchasers of that great domain of the Northwest Territory, which
was at first so rebellious, and the acreage covered by the original sur-
veys. For that purpose we glean the following from the "History of
the Western Reserve," issued by this comi)any several years ago.
How THE Reskr\'e Was Sold
"After formally resolving to sell it," says tlie account, "the legis-
lature selected a committee of eight, one from each county, to transact
the business. They were John Treadwell, Hartford county; James
Wadsworth, New Haven county; I\Iarvin Wait, New London; William
Edmons, Fairfield; Thomas Grosvenor, Windham; Aaron Austin, Litch-
field; Elijah Hul)bard, ]\Iiddlesex, and Sylvanus Ciilbert, of Tolland
county. It will be seen that the names of these men and these towns
were used in many ways in New (Connecticut, as were also the names
of the pui'cha.sers. At this time several individuals wished to ])uy land
for lliemsclves or liicir friends, but the land company feared that some
of llicm who wi'i'c not from ( 'onnecticul wriH- no! (inancially responsible,
while the price others olT'ered was not sulbcient. Among the latter
were Zepheniah Swift, author of Swift's Digest, ex-chief justice of
56 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Connecticut. He offered a million dollars for the whole tract. This,
however, was not entirely individual ; some of his friends were interested
with him.
'"J'hose selected, after earefid consideration, sold tiie tract September
5, 1795, to the following persons, with amounts given:
Joseph Howland and Daniel L. Coit $30,000
Eliam Morgan and Daniel L. Coit 51,402
Caleb Atwater 22,846
Daniel Ilolbrook 8,750
Joseph Williams 15,231
William Law 10,500
William Judd 16,250
' Elisha Hyde and Uriah Tracy 57,400
James Johnston 30,000
Samuel Mather, Jr 18,461
Ephraim Kirby, Elijah l^oardman and Urial
Holmes, Jr. 60,000
Solomon Griswold 10,000
Oliver Phelps and Gideon Granger, Jr 80,000
AVilliam Hart 30,462
Henry Champion, 2d 85,675
Asher :\Iiller " 34,000
liobcrt C. .Johnson 60,000
Epiiraim Root 42,000
Nehemiah Hubbard, Jr 19,039
Solomon Cowles 10,000
Oliver Phelps 168,000
Ashael Hathaway 12,000
Joiin Caldwell and I'elig Sanford 15,000
Timothy Burr 15,231
Lutlier Loomis and Ebenezer King, Jr 44,318
William Lyman, John Stoddard and David King. . 24,730
Closes Cleaveland 32,600
Samuel P. Lord 14,092
Roger Newbury, Enoch Perkins and -Jonathan Brace 38,000
Ephraim Starr 17,415
Sylvainis Griswold 1,683
.labez Slocking and .Joshua Slow 11,423
Titus Street 22,846
Jairics liali, Aaron Ohnslcad and Joim Wiles 3(1,000
J»i('i'repont Edwards 60,000
Total $1,200,000
HISTORY OF LORAIX COUNTY 57
"Tlie eai'ly diaries show some little ditt'erenees in names and amounts,
the total always remaining the same, but the foregoing is from the Book
of Drafts in the recorder's office at Warren.
"These, then, were the men who formed themselves into the Con-
necticut Land Company. So careful were they as to the letter of tlie
law, so exacting as to the carrying out of their obligations, and such
personal standing had they that, whereas in tracing titles in most places
in the United States one must go back to the grants made by the rulers
of the old world, in northeastern Ohio it is sufficient to go back only to
the Connecticut Land Company.
Acreage op the Reserve
"In the beginning, that territory was supposed to contain four mil-
lion acres, but it was found later that early maps and sketches had
been defective ; that Lake Erie made a decided southern dip ; so that
part of the land proved water, with some air thrown in. Below is a
table prepared by Judge Frederick Kinsman, who was very accurate
in all statements, showing the quantity of land (acres) in the Connecti-
cut Western Reserve by survey :
Land east of the Cuyahoga river 2,002,970
Land west of the river (exclusive of surplus lands) 827,291
Surplus land (so called) 5,286
Islands Cunningliam, or Kelley's 2,749
islands Bass or Bay No. 1 1,322
Islands Bass or Bay No. 2 709
Islands Bass or Bay No. 3 709
Islands Ba.ss or Bay No. i 403
Islands Bass or Bay No. 5 32
Total in Connecticut Land Company's purchase. 2,841,471
Parson's, or Salt Spring tract 25,450
Sufferers' or Fire lands 500,000
Total acres in the Western Reserve 3,3G6,921
"Tlic .+ 1,2(M),()00 received in payment was placed hy Connecticut in
its school fund and has always there remained."
JiUHJE i'.MJSoNs, Pioneer Land Bdver
Several yeai's before IIk! (loiiiieetieul Lan<i Comi)any was formed, the
lirst piii'cliase had been iiiiidc in the Suit Spring region, of the |ircsrii|
58 inSTOliV OF l.OHAIN COUNTY
Ti'iiniiiuU County, \>y Ccii. Samuel 11. I'arsoiis, a distiiiguislicd Revolu-
tiuuai'y {^ciuTal from CoiiiU'etiL-ut ; in 1785, apjioiiitcil by Coiigivss as
one of tlic Indian commissioners to arrange for land eessioiis, and in
17iS7 elio.seu one of the judges for tlie Northwest Territory, beeoming
eliief justiee in 178[). Having traveled tiirough the eountry he was
faunliar with the land, and timilly bought of tlie commissioners appointed
by the Conneetieut Legislature to sell land, a tract situated in the town-
ships now known as Lordstown, Weathersfield, Jaekson and Austintown.
The deed to this twenty-five thousand aeres is now on reeord in the
Trumbull County courthouse, and all records and maps agree as to its
boundaries, lie chose this spot undoul)tedly because the Indians and
traders had cleared the land roundabout, because the springs found
there contained brackish water from whicli he hoped later to nianufae-
tui-e salt, and because Pittsburgh was comparatively near at hand and
stores could be gotten at Beaver and other points on the river. lie,
however, never occupied this purchase, as he was drowned in the Beaver
K'i\-er, probably at the falls, wiien returning east. Little or no money
had been actually paid down foi- the land, but his lieii's claimed it never-
theless.
Wasiiingtox County (1796) Claim kd Juuisdiction
When Justice Parsons entered this first piece of land in the Western
Reserve, it was under the civil jurisdiction of the County of Washington,
which had been organized by proclamation in 1788, and included all
of the Reserve east of the Cuyahoga River. In 1796, the year of the
arrival of the surveying party for the Connecticut Land Company,
under tlie direction of Oen. ]\Ioses Cleveland, the County of AVayne was
ei'ccted as a political division of tiie Northwest Tci-ritory and included
over half of Ohio— all of the Western Reserve west of the Cuyahoga.
Even then, although nominally under civil jurisdiction, the lands west
of the Cuyahoga River, embracing, of course, the present County of
Lorain, were not the clear propei-ty of the TJjiited States, as the Wyan-
dots, Ottawas, Cliippewas, Delawares and other tribes held primitive
titles to them. As stated, the treaty of Fort Indu.stry, in ISOf), cleared
these lands of such incumbrances.
In titk Countuy of Canaiiouuk
Thus the Cuyahoga Rivei- may be said to be the historic stream of
Northeasteni Ohio. The first definite mention of it is in a French map
of M'}') ami i)reservcd hy the AVestern Reserve TTislorical Societv of
lU.STORY OF LOKAiN COUNIT 59
Clevelaiul. It iiaiiu's the country between tlie Ciiyalioga and San-
dusky I'ivers as Caualiogue, and tluit east oi; tlie Cuyalioya, as Uwalioga.
What we know as liOi'ain County was tlicrei'orf inclu(h;(l in (Jwahoga.
Tliis is also tin- name yiven to the river wliieh is uiade to eiuijty into
Canahoyue Hay, and the country desigiuited as Canaluigue is intlicated
as "the seat of war, the mart of trade and the chief limiting grounds
of the Six Nations of the Lakes." What we know as Ijorain County
was tiierefore included in the country of Canahogue more than a cen-
tury and a half ago.
AVaynk County (ITiJG)
The Wayne County of IT'JG included besides the Western Keserve
west of the Cuyaiioga Ixiver, a portion of Indiana, all of .Miehigan, aiul
the waters of Lakes Superior, Huron, St. Clair and Erie to the mouth
of the Cuyahoga, which were under the jurisdiction of the United
States. The seat of justice of Wayne County was Detroit.
Jekfersox County (171)7)
"In 1797," says Judge Jioynton, "Jetferson county was established
and the Western lieserve east of the Cuyahoga becauie a part of it by
restricting the limits of Washington.
Lawless But in Name
"But Connecticut and the Land Company refused to recognize the
jurisdiction of the United States prior to 1800. The act of inclusion of
their western land within the counties of Wasliington, Wayne aiul Jef-
ferson, they declared to be unwarrantetl, and tlie power of Congress
to preserilie rules for the government of the same they denied, and from
the opening settlement in 179G until the transfer of jurisdiction to the
General Covernment was complete, on the 30tli of May, ISOO, the new
settlers were entirely witliout municipal laws. There was no rcg'ula-
tion govi'i'iiing the transmission of, or succession to pro|)erty, on the
decease of the owner; no regulations of any kind seciu'ing the protee-
lion of rights, oi- the i-edrcss of wrongs.
"The want of laws for the goverinneiil of the settlers was seriously
i'elt, and as eai'ly as 17i)6 the com|)any jietitioned the Legislature of
(!onne<'lieut to erect the IJeservi^ into a county, with jji'ojier and suilabie
laws to regulal(! the internal policy of the tei'ritoi'y for a limited period.
This petition, however, was not granted, and for upwards of four years
) !.,;['
GO HISTORY OP I.OIJAIN COUNTY
fluj iii1('rc'0iii'S(; and coiidiKit of tlic early settlers were regulated and
)-estraiiied only hy their .New JOnf,'land sense ol' justice and ri{^ht.
Tkumiuill County (18(J0) I^iccounizkd
"But on the 10th of July, 1800, after Connectieut had released her
jurisdiction to the United States, the Western Keserve was erected into
a county by the name of TruuiliuU, in lionor of the goveriniient of Con-
necticut, by tlie civil authority of Ohio."
Period of Civil Complication
This period of civil complication and inicei'tainty, which logically
and historically affected wluit is now Lorain County, hut i)i'actieally did
not concern it as its territory was devoid of inhabitants, is thus described
by Col. Charles Whittlesey in one of hi.s many papei*s contributed to the
history of the Western Ileserve : ''The state of Connecticut claimed
jurisdiction over the Ileserve, but made no movement toward the erec-
tion of counties. AVhen she sold to the Land Company in 1795, l)oth
l)ai'ties imagined that the deed of Connecticut convej-ed powers of civil
government to the company and that tht; grantees might organize a new
state. As the United States objected to tiiis mode of setting up slates,
the region was practically without any magistrates, courts or other
organized civil authority, until that question was settled in 1800.
"Immediately after the British had retired in 17!>6, Governor St.
Clair erected the County of Wayne, witli Detroit as the county seat. It
included that part of the Reserve west of the Cuyahoga extending south
to Wayne's ti-eaty line, west to the waters of Lake Micliigiui and its
tributaries, and nortli to the territorial line. Its boundaries are not very
precise, but it clearly embraced about one-third of the present state of
Ohio. The question of jurisdiction, when Wayne County was erected
in 1796, remained open as it had under the County of Washington. In
1797 the County of Jefferson was established, eml)racing all of the
Reserve east of the Cuyahoga.
"When Trumbull County was erected in 1800, it embraced the entire
Western Reserve, with magistrates and courts having full legal authority
under the territorial goverinnent. Before this, although no deeds could
be (!Xecut(!d here, those executed elsewhere were, in sonu' cases, I'ecordod
at ]\larietta, the county seat of Washitigton (bounty. Some divines had
ventured to solemnize marriages befoi-e 1800 by virtue of their ministerial
office. During the first four yeai's of the settlement of the Reserve there
was no law, the force of which was acknowledged here; but the law-
IK)
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 61
altidiiij,' spirit of New England among the early settlers was such tluit
|)eaee ami order generally |)revailed."
All iiistorians are agreed that had the lii'st seltlei's in IIm; Western
JJeserve, while this state of legal "lawlessness" prevailed, heen otiii;r-
wise than the staid, educated representatives of New England communi-
ties whieh, for generations, had lived under Anglo-American laws, tlie
results might have been most perplexing and retarding to the develop-
ment of this large portion of Northern Ohio. But although the drawing
of lands east of the Cuyahoga River had been i)rogressing during these
uncertain years prior to 1800, those west of the river, including the
present domain within the limits of Lorain County, did not take place
until April 4, 1807, when that territory was under the civil administra-
tion of Geauga and Portage counties. All land and civil complications
had been cleared away when tlie lirst Connecticut colony to be planted
within Lorain County located in what is now Cohuubia Township, late
in the vear 1807.
CHAPTER VII
COUNTY SURVEYED AND ORGANIZED
The Treaty op Fort Industry (1805) — Western Lands Surveyed—
Surplus Lands op Lorain County — Equalizing Land Values —
Four Townships Considered Most Valuable — The Land Draw-
ings — Drawing the Townships — Trustees op tiie Reserve — Civil
Jurisdiction from 1807 to 1811 — Adjustment op County Bound-
aries — Fixing the Northern International I^oundary— 1"'ly's
Inducements for County-Seat Location — Located at Elyria —
—First Courthouse and Jaii. — Civil Organization — First (Com-
missioners' ]\1kETIN(; I'^IRST OPPICIAL J)()Cl'MKNT JUDICIAL
M a(;iiin1';rv in Motion — Original OiniANizATioN oi' the Townshii's.
The surveys of tlie lands of the AVesterii Reserve east of the Cuyalioga
River, made under the direetion of Aloses Clevehuid and Seth I'ease in
1796-97, do not interest us except in a general way, hut tliose west of
the liistorie stream whicli were hiid out soon after tlie treaty of Fort
Industry in 1805 emhraeed tlie territoi-y witliin tlie present limits of
Lorain County,
The Treaty op Fort Industry (1805)
Tlie Cuyalioga River and the portage hetweeii it and the Tuscarawas
as lietween the United States and th(; Indians, constituted the western
boundary of the United States upon the Reserve until July 4, 1805. On
that day a treaty was made at Fort Fiidustry with the chiefs and warriors
of the Wyandot, Ottawa, Cliii)pewa, Munsee, Delaware, Shawanese and
Pottawattamie nations, by which the Indian title to all the lands of the
lieserve lying west of the Cuyahoga was extinguished. By this treaty
all the lands lying between the (,'uyahoga and tlie meridian 120 miles
west of I'ennsylvaiiia, were ceded liy the hidiaiis for $20,000 in goods
and a i)er])etual annuity of $9,500, ])ayable in goods at first cost. And
allliough tins annuity remains unpaid, because there is nobody 1o claim
it, the title to the land on Ihc Jicscrve west of llie river was forever
set at rest.
G2
.1 llhSTOIlY OF LOKAIN COUNTY G3
Westeijn Lands Suhveyed
Till- survcy.s of tlKisc lands west of tlic (hiynhoi^a Kivcr Jiic, llms
(h'sciibcd by .ludf^c iJoyiiton : "TIk; iiicridiaiis and parallcils wcix' run
in JHOG, hy A. 'l'aj»i)on, and liis assistants. Tlio l)asc' and wostc-rn lines
of the lic'si'i've were run by Seth Pease for tiie Government. The ranges
of townships were numbered progressively west, from the western
boundary of Pennsylvania. Tlie first tier of townships, running north
and south, lying along the border of Pennsylvania, is range No. 1, the
adjoining tier west, is range No. 2, and so on throughout the twenty-
four ranges. The townships lying next north of t!ie 41st parallel of
latitude in each i-ange, is township No. 1 of that range. The township
next north is No. 2, and so on progressively to the lake. Kidgeville
being in the sixteenth tier from the base line of the Reserve, is town-
ship No. 6, in range No. 16. AVellington is township No. '.i, in range 18.
Elyria, township No. 6, in range 17. It was supposed that there were
4,000,000 acres of land between Pennsylvania and the Fire Lands. If
the suppo.sition had proved true, the land would liave cost thirty cents
per acre. As it resulted, there were less than 3,000,000 acres. (3,366,000
acres — Editor.) Tiic mi.scalculation arose from the mistaken assumption
tliat the soutli shore of Lake Erie bore more nearly west than it does;
and also from a mistake made in the lengtli of the east and west line.
"The distance, west from the Pennsylvania line, surveyed in 1796-7,
was only fifty-six miles. Tluit survey ended at the Tuscarawas River.
To reacii the western limit of tiie Reserve, a distance of sixty-four miles
was to ))e made. Abraham Tappen and Anson Sessions entei'ed into an
agreement with the Land company, in 1805, to complete the survey of
the lands between the Fire Lands and the Cuyahoga. This they did
in 1806; and from the width of range 1!), the range embracing the
townships of lirowidielm, Henrietta, Camden, P>righton, Rochester and
Troy, it is very evident that the distance from the east to the west line
of the Reserve is less than 120 miles. This tier of townships is gore
shaped, and is mucli less than five miles wide, circumstances leading
the com])any to divide all south of Bvownhelm into tracts, and use it
for purj^oses of c(|uaiization. The west line of range 19, from north
to south, as oi'iginally run, bears to tlie west, and between it and range
20, as indicated on the map, there is a strip of land, also gore sliajied,
thai was Icfl in the lii'st instance unsurveyt'd, the surveyoi's not know-
ing llic exact whci'caliouts of th(; eastei'n line of the 'half million acres'
liclonirinir to the SulVei'ers.
64 HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
Surplus Lands op Lokain County
"In ]806, Amos SiJalTonl, of Clevelaiul, and Almoii Riif,'<,'](;.s, of
IIuroM, were af,'ro('(J on by the two coiiipaiiu'.s to ascertain ami locate the
line between the Fire Lands and the lands of the Connecticut Company.
They first surveyed ott' the 'half million acres' belonging to the Suf-
ferers, and not agreeing with Seth Pease, who had run out the base and
west lines, a dispute arose between the two companies, which was finally
adjusted before the draft, by establishing the eastern line of the Fire
Lands where it now is. This left a strip of land east of the Fire Lands,
called Surplus lands, which was included in range 19, and is embraced
in the western tier of townsliips of Loi-ain county.
Equalizing Land Values
"The mode of dividing the land among the i)urchasers was a little
peculiar, although evidently just. An equalizing committee accom-
panied the surveyors, to make sucli observations and take such notes of
the character of the townships, as would enable them to grade tliem
intelligently, and make a just estimate and equalization of their value.
Tile amount of tlie i)urchase money was divided into four hundred
shares. Certificates were issued to each owner, showing him to
be entitled to sucli proportion of the entire land, as the amount he paid
bore to the purchase price of the whole. Four townships of the greatest
value were first selected from that part of the Western Reserve to which
the Indian title had been extinguished, and were divided into lots. Each
townshii) was divided into not less than 100 lots. The Jiumber of lots
that the four townships were divided into, would at least ecjual tiie 400
shares, or a lot to a share, and eacii person, or company of persons,
entitled to one or more shares of the Reserve— each share being one
four hundredth part of the Reserve— was allowed to participate in the
draft tliat was determined upon for the division of the joint property.
The committee appointed to select the four most valuable townships for
such division, was directed to proceed to select of the remaining town-
ships, a sufficient number, and of the best quality and greatest value, to
be used for equalizing puri)Oses. After this selection was made they
were to select the best remaining township, and tliis townshij) was the
one, to the value of whicli all others were Iiroughl, by the eciualization
process of annexation, and if there were several of equal value with the
one so selected, no annexations were to ])e made to them. Tiie e(|ualiziiig
townsliips were cut up into parcels of various size and value, and these
jmrcels were annexed lo townships inferior in value, to the standard
lllSTOin' OI<' liOlJAIN COUNTY Gj
township, .selected in tlie manner indicated, and annexations of huul
i'roni the equalizing to\vnslii2)s were made iii quantity and (luality to the
ijirerior townshijis, Hul'lieient to make t(i<.'m all equal in value to the
township so selected.
Fouii TuwNSuu'S Considered Host Valuable
"The lands of Lorain county, that were taken for the purpose of
equalizing township.s of inferior value, were those of Koehester, Brighton,
Camden, Black ]?iver, and that part of Henrietta that did not originally
belong to Brownhelm. Tract S, in range 19, being partly in Brighton,
and partly in Camden, consisting of 3,700 acres, was annexed to La
Grange, to etiualize it. Tract No. 3, in LaFayette township, Medina
county, consisting of 4,8101/2 acres, was ainiexed to Penfield. Tract 1,
in gore i, in range 11, consisting of 2,225 acres, was annexed to Katon.
Tract 2, in gore 4, range 11, consisting of 2,650 acres, was annexed to
Coliunbia; 1,700 acres, in tract. 4, in Rochester, were annexed to
Huntington; 2,769 acres, in fraction No. 3, in range 11, Summit county,
were annexed to Ridgeville; 4,600 acres, in tract 9, in Camden, were
annexed to (Jrafton; 4,000 acres. Tract 7, in Brighton were annexed to
Wellington ; 4,300 acres, in tract 3, gore G, range 12, were annexed to
Russia; 1,500 acres, in tract 14, in Henrietta, were annexed to .Siiellield ;
3,000 aci'es in tract 11, in Camden, were annexed to Pittsfield; tract 3,
con.sisting of 4,050 acres, in Rochester, was annexed to Elyria; 4,000
acres, in tract 2, in Black River, were annexed to Amiierst; Bass Islands,
No. 1, 2, and Island No. 5, lying north of Erie county, consisting of
2,063 acres, were annexed to Avon; and Kelley's Island, consisting
of 2,741 acres, was annexed to Carlisle.
The Land Drawings
"After the townships were all made equal in value by the process of
tacking and annexation, they were drawn by lot. There were ninety-
three; lownshii)s, or e<iualized pai'cels drawn ea.st of the Cuyahoga, and
forty-six on tlie west. The draft of the lands oast of the Cuyaiioga,
took place prior to 1800, and of those west of that river on tlie Itli of
April, 1807. Ill the draft ol' liic land east of the river, it required nil
owiierslii|» of .+ 12,903.23 of the original purchase iiKuiey, jo entitle the
owner to a township; and in the draft of tho.se west of the i-ivei', which
included tlie lands of Lorain county, it recpiii-ed an owiiei'shii) of $2G,0S7
in the oi'iginal ])Ui'ehase money, to entitle the owner to a township. Tile
saiiie mode and phiii wi'i'e foHowed in each dnifl.
(JG JUSTOliY' OF l.OKAIN COUNTY
Drawing tiik Townsiiii's
"The towiisliips wcru munbered, and the numbers on separate pieces
of paper, placed in a box. Tiie names of tlie proprietors, wlio liad sub-
scribed and were the owners of a sufficient amount of the purchase
money to entitle them to a township, were arranged in alphabetical
order, and where it was necessary for several persons to combine, because
not owning severally a sufficient amount of the purchase money, or
luimber of shares, to entitle tliem to a township, tlie name of the person
of the company that stood alphabetically first was used to represent them
in the draft, and in case the small owners were unable from disagree-
ment among themselves, to unite,' a committee was appointed to select
and class the proprietors, and those selected were required to associate
tiieiiiselves together for the purpose of the draft. The townsliip cor-
responding to the first number drawn from the box, belonged, with its
annexations for purposes of equalization, to the person whom he repre-
sented ; and the second drawn, belonged to the second person, and so on
throughout the list. This was the mode adopted to sever the ownership
in conniion, and to secure to each individual, or company of individuals,
Iheir intei-est in severalty, in wliat, bcl'oi'e then, hat! been tiic eoiiuiion
pi-operly of all. AViien a townsliip, by the draft, became tiie proi)erty
of several, resort was had to the courts after their organization here,
to effect partition of the same.
Trustees op the Reserve
"Soon after the conveyance to the Land Company, to avoid com-
plications arising from the death of its members and to facilitate the
transmission of titles, the company conveyed the entire purchase, in
trust, to John ^Morgan, John Cadwell and Jonathan Brace; and as titles
were wanted, either liefore or after the division by draft, conveyances
were made to the purchasers by these trustees."
Civil Jurisdiction from 1807 to 1811
Althougli seltlers comincnccd to romc in wilh tlie di-altiiig of lands
west of fbe (Juyahoga Ivivef, in 1807, liftccn years wci-c to ])ass bcl'oi-e
liorain Coiiiily had a body corporate of its own. During that period of
l)ioneer settlement tlie civil jurisdiction siiifled from county to county.
TI)(( early ('oiiiers (irsi, looked to old Ti-iimliull (bounty I'oi- Iheir civil
rights and legal protection; iikicc spceilicnlly, they were attached to the
Townnliip of Ctcvchiiiil, one nl' the cicjil l(i\viiKlii|iN (if tbiil coimly, In
^ MAP OF
^ ^ LORAIN CO.
OHIO.
A*
Bxplanaiicnt,
ll)p. t Cb. tinet —^ fj.-Ko'iff :________
ScAleorMIIet. ? i i , i f
n
JIISTORY UK J.OJiAlN COUNTY^ G7
IcSO,") the Coiiiity of (i('iiii<^<i was rrciitcd, iiiul in ISO? tluit ])!irt ol' llio
Western licscrv<' lyiiif; west ol' the (Jiiyalio^a liivcr and iiortli of town-
sliip \, was attached to tliat eounty I'oi' civil, jii(li(rial and political pur-
poses; the portion of the present county for which provision was thus
made, inelucU'd the territory nortli of the townships of Canulen, i'itts-
lield, Lagrange and Grafton. That i)ortion of the county reuiained thus
attached until 1810, when the new county of Cuyaiioga al)sorl)ed it; tiie
southerii part of the county was attached to Portage County until 1811.
Al)JlJST.ML"NT OF CoUNTY HoiJN'DAKIKS
IIow the Loi'ain County of tlie future was gradually created after
more than a decade of adjustments and rearrangements is a complicated
story, and runs as follows: "On January 22, 1811, the houndary line
of Huron was extended east, on the line now dividing Camden and Hen-
rietta, Pittsfield and Kussia, Carlisle and Lagrange, to the southwest
corner of Eaton; and thence north on the line ilividing Carlisle and
Eaton, and Elyria and Ridgeville, to the northwest corner of Ridgeville ;
thence west to Black River, and down the same to the Lake. On the
day that these lines were so altered and extended, the Legislature ex-
tended the south line of Cuyahoga county, from the southwest corner
of Stroiigsville west to the southwest corjier of Katon; thence north,
between Eaton and Carlisle, to the nortiiwest corner of Eaton; and h'om
that point west, between Elyria and Carlisle, to the east branch of Black
river and down the same to the Lake. Here was a eonHict in boundaries.
"The Boundary of Huron county included all of Elyria extending
east to Ridgeville and the boundary of ("uyahoga included within its
limits that part of Elyria lying east of the east branch of the river.
The river was the dividing line between the two counties, in the one
act and the line between Elyria and Ridgeville was the dividing line in
the other. This conflict was removed at tiie next session of the Legis-
lature, by adoj)ting the townsiiip line, instead of the river, as the Ijountl-
ary line between the two counties, at this point. This adjustment of
the boundaries gave to Huron county the townships now known as
Elyria, Carlisle, Russia, Henrietta, Brownhelm, Amherst and all of
l)lack Rivei' and Sheffield lying west of the river; and to Cuyalioga
county, Eaton, (.'olumbia, Ridgc-ville, Avon, and all of tlie townships of
lilack River and Shefdeld lying east of the i-ivei'. At Ihat date, 1811,
the territory now (;oini)risiiig the county of Lorain, belonged to tlu;
counties ol' Union, (!uyalioga, and l'orlag(!.
"The county of llui'on, although established in 1S()!I, and extended
east- of I '.lack b'iver in 181 1 , was annexed to ( 'uyhoga in 1810, I'or Judicial
68 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
and otlior purposes, and ivinainod so annexed, until January, 1815,
wluMi it was or<^ani/.ed, and assumed control of its own alT'airs.
"On the ]!Hli day of Keliruary, 1H12, Medina was iornu-d, and com-
prised all of the tei-ritory between llie eleventh ranf^o of townships and
Huron county, and south of townshii)s luunher live. It tlierefore in-
cluded all of the present county of Lorain, south of Eaton, Carlisle,
Russia and Henrietta. On the Uth day of January, 1818, that county
was organized, and its local government put into operation. From the
date of its formation to the date of its organization it was attached to
the county of Portage, for judicial and civil purposes. On the 2Gth of
Dcccndjer, 1822, Lorain county was estahlislied. It took from the county
of Huron the territory embraced in tlie townships of Hrownhelm, Henri-
etta, Amherst, Russia, Elyria and Carlisle, and those parts of the town-
ships of Black River and Shetifield that lie on the west of Black River;
and from the county of Cuyahoga the townships of Troy (now Avon),
Ridgeville, the west half of Olinstead (then called Lenox), Eaton,
Cohunbia, and those i)arts of Black River and Sheffield lying east of
the river; and from the county of ^Medina, Camden, Brighton, Pittstield,
Lagrange, and Wellington. The county, as originally formed, embraced
seventeen and one-half townships, which, until the county was organized,
were to remain attached to the counties of jMedina, Huron and Cuya-
hoga, as formerly. It was, however, organized independently, and went
into operation on the 21st day of January, 1824. In the organization of
the county, it was provided that the first officers should be elected in
April, 1824; and at that election, tliat part of Lenox that was brought
into Lorain, should vote at Ridgeville, and that i)art of Brigiiton, lying
in Medina before then, should vote in the adjoining township of Wel-
lington.
"On January 2i), 1827, the ])oundary lines of the county were
changed. The townshi])s of Grafton, Penfield, Spencer and Homer,
Huntington, Sullivan, Rochester and Troy — some of them organized and
some not — were detached from ]\Iedina, and annexed to Lorain ; and the
half of Lenox Ix'lnnging to Lorain, was set off to Cuyahoga, to In; a part
of ]\Iiddlebury, until otherwise provided. Ppon the formation of the
county of Suimnit, in 1840, the townships of Spencer and Homer were
attached to IMediiia; and ui)oii the ioi'iiialion of Ashland county, in
Eebruaiy, 184G, Sidlivan and Troy wrw detached fi'om Lorain, and
made a iKirl of liiat county. Pi'ior to this, and on the 2!)lii of January,
1827, an ad was i)assed, lixing the ncrlhern l)oundary of tlu- coiuily.
TIISTOUY OF LORAIN COUNTY 60
Fixing the Nortiikhn International ]5oundary
"The mode of formiii;^ and or^'aniziiif,' tlu; coiuitics liad been such
as to leave unsettled tlie nortliern limit of the eounties of Ashtabula,
Oeauga, (.'uyahoga and Lorain. And in matters uivolvin<,' the exercise
of criminal jurisdiction of oflfenses committed along the lake shore, the
(luestion was of too nuich practical importance to be left in doul)t. The
treaty between the United States and Great Britain iixed the line run-
ning through the middle of the lakes as the dividing line between the
two countries. Connecticut had reserved the land between the 41st
degree of north latitude and 42 degrees and 2 minutes. The eoiirse and
shajie of Lake Erie were such that the parallel of 42 degrees and 2
miiuites would cross llie middle line of the lake; and adjoining Ashta-
bula, that degree of latitude would be .south of, and, adjoining Lorain,
north of the boundary liiu; between Canada and the United .States. It
was therefore declared, l)y this act, that the northern boundary of these
four counties sliould extend to tlu; northern boundary of tiie United
States. This carried the northern boundary of Lorain to the middle of
Lake Erie, without regard to the northern limit of the "Western Reserve."
Ely's Inducejiext for County-Seat Location
On the 22d of February, 1822, several months before Lorain County
was created and a year before the county seat was located at Elyria,
Ileman Ely had dedicated to the inhabitants of the township the public
park lying between Broad and South streets, and placed the title in
Edmund AVest as trustee, for their benefit. lie also conveyed to West,
in trust for the county, a plat of ground, eight rods by twelve, provided
such tract should be used for county buildings. The courthouse now
stands upon that site. :\Ir. Ely, at the same time, conveyed to the town
the remainer of the back square.
In 1828 a permanent county building was erected in the center of the
tract donated by Judge Ely. It was a two-.story red brick l)uilding,
with four large pillars in front and surmounted by a cupola. The court-
room was on the second floor and the county offices on the first. The
old courthous(; remained in use from the time of its completion in 1828
until it was replaced by Ihe massive stone .struct un; now oeeupi(!d,
eivclcd in IMSO-.SJ.
It was in Hie old courthouse that Mv. Ely .served for a number of
years as associate judge, and olitained the title by which he was gen-
erally known, "Jn<lg.'" Ely. lie <li(.,| it, IH.VJ, and up to the vrvy last.
JjOKAIN ('oI;NTY Coi'lJTIlOl'Hi:, ElA'lUA
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 71
took the deepest interest and the gi'eatest pride in the improvement of
tlie town of whieli he was one of the recognized fonnders.
Located at Elyria
The creative act of December, 1822, named the commissioners who
were to locate the county seat. The committee thus formed were con-
sidered to he disinterested persons who would examine the merits of the
rival claimants, having in view public convenience and welfare, both
as to the present and future. The people of Black River, Sheffield and
Elyria townships were all most anxious to secure the honor. In Feb-
ruary, 1823, the conunissioners made tlieir appearance in Elyria and by
Artemas Bee])e wci'e conveyed to Black River and Sheficld to weigh tlie
advantages of the localities in the lake region. Elyria was obviously the
most central and readily accessible to the majority of residents of the
county, and it is also probable that Mr. Ely's promise to furnish the
land and a temporary courthouse and jail, as well as to donate j|^2,000
toward the erection of a permanent courthouse liad a bearing upon the
selection made.
FiiJST CouirnioiisK and JaiI;
On the 14lli of February, 182,"!, tlie commissioners drove the stakes
for the location of the first court liouse, on the corner of JNIain and Cheap-
side streets. It was a little one-story frame building which Mr. Ely there
erected and in which the first court commenced its sitting on tlie 24th
of tlie following May.
After the erection of the permanent courthouse the building was
moved to a lot fronting Broad Street and was used as a sclioolhouse and
by the Presbytci'ian Cliuix-li.
The first county jail was erected on wliat is now tlie South I'ulilic
S(|uare. It was a two-story frame building, the inside of one end lined
with sijuare-hewn logs and reserved as the prison cell. The other end
was used by tlie family of tlie jailor.
Civil Organization
In the civil organization of the new county, the most pressing matter
was the oi'gaiiization of the Court of Common Pleas and the board of
coiiiity commissioners, wilii the inslaHation of those ollieials who iiad
most to do with the auditing of a<'eoiinls and tiie apprehension of [joh-
sil)le oll'eiiders against tlie i)eace of society. The latter liigh-soundiiig
words ap|)ly to the auditoi- and the sherilf.
72 HISTORY OF LORATN COUNTY
The April election of 1824, which was the first step in the civil organ-
ization, ri'siilted in tlie clioicc of John S. JJcid, Asliahcl Oshorne ami
Hfnjaiiiin Hucon, as county coimiiissioncrs, with Shcriiian Minott as
anditor and Josiali Harris, as shcrill'.
First Commissioners' IMeeting
The first meeting of the commissioners was held at Elyria on the 24th
of ^lay, 1824. All the memhers of the board were present, and their
first official act was the appointment of Edmund West as county treas-
Present County Jail
urer, who gave a bond of $:^,()00 for the faitliful discharge of his duties.
At the following June session, the first road establislied by the county
was thus described in tlie official records: "Beginning in the high-
way a little easterly of the dwelling house of Walter Crocker in Black
River Township, tlience running in the most convenient route near the
dwellings of Frederick and Daniel Onstine, thence across Beaver creek
near the house of ]\Fr. Rice, thence to intersect the North Ridge road
so called, a little eastwardly of the dwelling house of Mr. Ormsby."
Fn the fall of 1824 nnolher ele(;li()n was held, at whicli ;{:i2 ballots
were cast and wliicli resulted in the re-eh'clion of I lie oHieials mentioned.
In the first year of tlie eoniity's existence jis n civil Ixxiy lOiiward
Dnrand commenced his duties as sui'veyor, and .John Pearson as collector
of state and county taxes.
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 73
First Oi-^ficiai. Document
KlKMiczcr Wliiton, tlic first recorder of Lorain County, performed }it
Iciist one oflieial act while it was still attaolied to old Huron County,
eivilly, i)o]itically and judicially. His first act was to record a deed
from Benjamin Pritehard to Anna Merrills, conveying a parcel of land
containing thirty and three-fourths acres, situated in township No. 6,
range 18, in the County of Huron, and being a part of lot No. 3L This
instrument was acknowledged May 10, 182;:{, before Isaac :\Iills, justice
of the peace; was witnessed by I. Mills and llary :\Iills, and endorsed:
"Received April 13, 1824, and recorded .May 11, 1824, on page 1, Book
A, Lorain County Record of Deeds." This may therefore be called
Lorain County's first official document.
Judicial ^Machinery in ]\Iotion
On the 24tli of I\lay, 1824, when the county commissioners held their
first meeting, the Court of (,'ommon I'leas also commenced its first sit-
ting in the courthouse provided by Judge Ely. Sheriff' Josiah Harris
opened court, the bench comprising Ceorge Tod, the president thereof,
and his associates, iMoses Eldred, Henry Brown ami Frederick Hamlin.
AVoolsey Welles was appointed prosecuting attorney of the county, and
he also acted as clerk of the court during tiie oj)cning day of the session.
On tlie second day Ebenezer Whiten, the recorder, was appointed perma-
nent clerk, and served in tliat cajjacity until 1S;{6.
Thus was the judicial and civil macliincry of Lorain County fairly
put in motion.
Original Organization op the Townships
The twenty-one townships into which Lorain County is now divided
were organized under their present names as follows; it must be remem-
bered, however, that the years by no means indicate the dates when they
acquired their present areas and forms :
Columbia, 1809. Eaton, 1822. Penfield, 1825.
Ridgeville, 1813. Huntington, 1822. Lagrange, 1827.
Black River, ]817. Carlisle, 1822. Henrietta', 1827.
P.rowiiJiclm, 1818. Brigliton, 1823 Amherst, 1830.
(Ji'arion, 1818. Shcnield, 1824. Pittsdeld, 1831.
Elyria, 181!). • Avon, 1824. Camden, 1835.
Wellington, 1821. Russia, 1825. Rochester, 1835.
CHAPTER VIII
PIONEER SETTLEMENT
Indians Adopt First ^VIIITE Settler — Disgraced by Getting Lost in
THE Woods — Starts for the Bu^ck River — Reaches the Lake —
Join Wyandots on the Site op Lorain — The Camp at Elyria —
Replenishing the Common Larder — -Pur-IIunting Expeditions —
Return to Civilization — Moravian Colony Attempts to Settle —
Would Return to Ruined Muskingum Villages — Found Pilgeruh
(Pilgrim's Rest) — Abandon Plan of Return to the ]\[uskingum
— Ordered to JVIove On — Three Days in Lorain County — Final
Return to the Muskingum — David Zeisberger, Would-Be Settler
— Settlements from 1807 to 181 2 — A War Scare t)F 1812 —
Eastern Shipbuilders Driven West — Lorain's Early Ship-Build-
ing Industry — Black River Settlement Becomes Charleston
Village — Hearse, First Public Utility — Plowing Out a Ri\er
Channel — Early Hotels — Charleston's Lean Years — Scent of
THE Coming Iron Horse — First Coix)ny op Permanent Settlers —
Columbia Township Organized — Pioneer Settlers op Ridgeville
— Ridgeville Township Organized — Eaton Township Settled —
Civil Organization — The I^eebes and PratRvs of I^lack River —
Other Pioneers — Black River Tow^nship Organized — Founding
OF Lorain C^ity — Early Settlers of Amherst Township — Josnii
Harris — As a Political Body — Amherst as a Village — Town-
ships Settled During the War — Pierrepont Edwards Draws Avon
Township — The Cahoon Family — Avon Township Created —
Pioneer Families Crowd into Sheffield — Sheffield, First Town-
ship After (JouN^rv Or(;anizei> — I'ittsfield Township Drawn —
First Permanent Settlers — Township Oiujanized — Village of
Elvuia Founded — The Ely IIohU': — The Famous Beebe Tavern —
The First Beebe Home — The T^ridal Trip — The Old-Time Fire-
pi, accIjAst Ukkiie House, I'ridk of the 'I'own — I'Ilyria Township
I'Aicri'rioNKD in 1810 — "Raisings" — Township and Village Suij-
VKYKD — Pl^STOKFICE KsTABLISI lEl) ToWNSIllP EUECTED— FlYRIA CiTY
OF Today — Father and Pioneers of Buownhelm — Township
71
HISTORY OF LOUAIN COUNTY 75
Creatki) and Organized— Settlkment oe Russia Township-
Founding OK OuKULiN— Russia Townsiiii- Organ izkd— First Year
■ 0|.' I'lONEKRINd IN (hlAI'TON — 'I'OWNSIIII' I N(JOKI-l)RATKD — Vll.l,A(iE OK
(;rakton — Wellington's Original Owners and Si;ttler.s— Arrival
OK FiitsT Family— TowNSii II' Organizatkjn- Wellington Village
— Townsiiii' ok Huntington— The Labories and Other Families
—Wooden Bowl Factory— Organization ok the Townshii'- Pen-
field Townsiiii- Rightly Named — Coming ok the Penkields—
Families of Calvin Spencer and Others— Carlisle Townsiiii —
Pioneer Families Settle— Brighton Township— Henrietta Town-
ship — Camden Township.
Previous to the beginning of the nineteentli century only two tempo-
rary settlements had been made by wliite people within tiie present
limits of Lorain County. The first was l)y James Smith, a youth who
luid l)een captured by the Indians while working on a military road in
Western l\-nnsylvania, and the second, more than thirty years after-
ward, by a colony of Moravian missionaries. Smith, in his later life,
became prominent both in the British and American armies and repre-
sented Kentucky in the State Legislature for a number of years. He
was carried by his tiu'ee hulian captors, two of wiiom were Delawares,
1o Furl \)u (^)ucsne, in ^lay, 1755; Ins white comrade was scalped, bul,
after running the gauntlet, Smith was adopted l)y the tril)e and taken
to a Delaware town on tlie ])anks of the .MuskingnuL Tiiis wa.s in the
spring of ll^nt, during the French and Indian war.
Indians Adopt First Wihte Settler
Smith has left an interesting account of his experiences covering the
two years during which he visited what is now Lorain County. His
adoption into the tribe is thus descri])ed: "The day after my arrival
at the aforesaid town (on the Muskingum) a number of Tiulians gatliered
about me and one of them began to pull tiie hair out of my head. He had
some ashes on bark into which he frequently dipped his fingers in order
to take a firnu'r hold; and so he went on, as if he had l)een plucking
a turkey, until he had all the hair clean out of my head except a small
.spot three or four inches scpiare on the crown. This they cut oft' with a
])air of scis.sors, excei)t three locks which they dressed up in th<'ii' own
iiHidi'. Two of these they wra|)i>ed around with a narrow bea<led gai-t.(;r,
UKide by t lieiiiselves I'oi- liie |)ur|)().se, and thi; otlic'r they i)laited at I'nll
length and stuck it full of silver i)roaciu'S. After tiiis they bored my
nose and ears, and fixed me up witii nose and ear jewels. Tin'ii they
76 llISTUIfY OW I.OKAIN COUNTY
ordered ine to strip off my elothes and put on a lireeeli elout, wliieli T
did. 'i'liey then painted my f'ai c, hands and hody in various e()h)i's.
Tliiy |)iit a hirgc helt of wanii)nni on my ne(;k, and silver hands on my
hands and right arm; and so an old eiiiel' led me out in the street and
gave the alarm lialloo several time repeated quiek (Coo Wigh!) and on
this all that were in town came running and stood around the old chief
who held me by the hand in their midst.
"As at that time I knew nothing of their mode of adoption, and had
seen them put to death all they had taken, I made no doubt that tiiey
were about putting me to death in some cruel manner. The old chief,
holding me b/ the hand, made a long speech, very loud, and when he
liad done he handed me to three young squaws, who led me by the hand
down the bank into the river until the water was up to my middle. The
Sfpniws then made signs to me to phingi! myself into tiie rivei-, but 1 did
not understand them. I thought the result of the council was that 1
was to be drowned, and that these young ladies were to be the execu-
tioners. They all three laid violent hold of me and, for some time, I
resisted tliem witii all my might, which occ^asioned loiul lau-^hter by the
multitude that were on the bank. At length one of the .scpuiws said,
'No hurt you;' on this I gave myself up to their ladysliips, who were as
good as tlieir word; for, though they plunged me under tlie water and
rubbed me, I could not say they hurt me. They then led me uj) to tlie
council house, where the tribe were ready with new clothes for me.
Tliey gave me a new ruffled shirt which I put on ; also a pair of legging,s
done olf with ribbons and beads; also a pair of moccasins and a tinsel-
laced cappo. They again painted my head and face with various
colors. When I was seated the Indians came in dressed in their grand-
est manner. At length one of the chiefs made a speech as follows:
'^ly son, you are now flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. By the
ceremony wliich was performed this day every drop of white blood is
washed out of your veins.' After this ceremony I was introduced 1o
my new kin and invited to attend a feast that night, which I did."
Disgraced by Getting Lost in the Woods
Smith wandered around with various hunting parties in Central and
Southern Ohio, in the course of which he visited several of the famous
salt licks in that pail of the country. During one of these excursions,
whil(! following buffalo, he got lost in the woods where lu; spent the
niglit. For that offense his gun was taken fi'om him, and he was reduccnl
to a bow and arrow for nearly two years, or until the termination of his
eaptivily.
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 77
Starts fou the Black Kivku
"1 iLMiiuiiicd ill this town," coiitiiiiu.'.s Siuitii, "until some liiiio in
0(;tol;L'r, when my adopted brotiier, Toiitiieauyo, wiio liad Jiiarried a
Wyandot siiuaw, took me witii iiim to Lake Erie. On tliis route we
luul no horses with us, and wlien 1 started from the town all the pack I
carried was a i)OUcli containing my books, a little dried venison and my
lilauket. 1 had tlien no gun, but TontiJeaugo, who was a first-rate
hunter, carried a rifle, and every day killed deer, raccoons or bears. NVe
left the meat, except a little for present use, and carried the skins with us
until we camped, when we dried them by the fire."
Re-vches the Lake
The travelers struck the Canesadooharie (Black Kiver) proliably
near its source, and followed it down for some distance, when tliey
must have left it, as they reached the lake shore some six miles west of
its mouth. As the wind was very high the evening they reached the
lake, they were .surprised to "hear the roaring of the water and see the
high waves that dasiied against the shore like the ocean." They camped
on a run near the shore, and as the wind fell tluit night they ]jursued
tlieir journey in the morning toward the mouth of the river on the .sand
along the shore. They observed a number of large flsh that had been
left in the hollows liy the receding waves, and numbers of gray and bald
eagles were along the shore devouring them.
Join W van dots on the Site of Louain
Some time in the afternoon they came to a large camp of ^Vyandots
at the mouth of the Canesadooharie, where Tontileaugo's wife was.
There they were hospitably received and entertained for some time.
Smith says: "They gave us a kind of rougli, brown potatoes, which
grew .spontaneously and were called liy the Caughiiewagas ohenata.
These potatoes, peeled and dipped in raccoons' fat, tasted like our sweet
potatoes." They killed wiiile tiiere some di-xT and many raccoons
whicii were I'emarkably large and fat. They kept moving up tiie river
until they came to tlie great falls. These were iirobably the east falls
of Llack River, now within the corporation of Elyria. At that locality
they buried their eanoi! and erected a winter cal)iii; froiri the descrip-
lion, il was at i']vergreeii I'oint.
78 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
The Cami' at Eiaiua
T\u: Jiarralivi! j)roc(;c(ls: "It was hoiik; liini! in \httiini]ntr wlicii wt*
liiiislied our winter ealjiii. Tlioii another dillieiilty arose; we had noth-
ing to eat. While the hunters were all out exerting their utmost ability,
the siiuaws and boys (in whieh class 1 was) were scattered in the bottom
hunting red haws and hickory nuts. We did not succeed in getting
many haws, but had toleraljle success in scratching up hickory nuts
from under a light snow. The hunters returned with only two small
turkeys, which were but little among eight hunters and thirteen squaws,
boys and children. But they were divided eciually. The next day the
hunters turned out again, and succeeded in killing one deer and three
bears. One of the bears was remarkably large and fat. All hands
turned out the next morning to bring in the meat.
Replenishing the Common Lakder
"During the winter a war party of four went out to the borders of
Pennsylvania to procure horses and scalps, leaving tiie same number in
cainp to provide meat for the women and children. They returned
toward .spring with two scalps and four hor.ses. After the departure
of the warriors we had hard times and, though not out of provisions,
we were brougiit to sliort allowance. At length, Tontileaugo imd fair
success and ])rouglit into camp sufficient to last ten days. Tontileaugo
then took me with him in order to encami) some distance from the wniter
camp. We steci'cil soutii u]) the creek ten or twelve miles and went
into camp."
That locality is ])elieved to lie in Lagrange Township. The brothers
by adoption went to bed hungry the tirst night, but on the following
day killed a bear, and the Hay after a bear and three cubs. During the
following three weeks, whicli they spent in this locality, they killeil an
abundance of game and then returned to the winter cabin. There was
great joy in the camp, at theii- anival, as jn'ovisions had run very low.
FlIlt-lIUNTINCi lOxi'KDlTION.S
Tn Ai)ril, Rmith and Tontileaugo dug uj) their canoe, made another
one foi- I lie coiivcyancM; of their jx-ltry, and left their winlei- cabin at
tlic falls; the Indian ijrocceded toward the lake by water and bis white
liiolJKr oil horseback. On i-eaciiing the iiioiitii of the river, tiiey
iJiocecded west along tile lake shore to Sini-yeu-deauk (Sandusky),
aiiollier Wvaudot town, hale in llie lall Smith joined a iiiintiiig party
JUSTUKY OF J.OKAIN COUNTY 79
and proctit'cled to tlie Cuyaliof^a River. At a (lifstaiice of ahout tliirty
miles I'l'Oiu its iiioiitli, tlicy I'oniu'd a canip iicai' a small lake and spcMit
tlic, wintci- in (•at('liin{^ Ixtavcr. In tim sptinf^ of ITf)? tlicy rctnnicd to
Sandusky, and soon went by water to Detroit, wliere they disi)Osed of
tiieir peltry to the Freneh traders.
Return to Civilization
In 1759 Smith accompanied his Indian relatives to ^Montreal, where
he was iinally exchanged, and returned to his Pennsylvania home in
1760, only to find his old sweetheart married, all supposing him dead.
He afterward became a captain in the regular British army, and was
chiefly engaged in protecting the border against Indian raids. During
the Revolutionary war, he rose to the rank of colonel in the patriot
army, and did good service against both the British and their Indian
allies. In 1788 Colonel Smith migrated to Bourbon County, Kentucky,
where he represented his district in the Assembly as late as the com-
mencement of the nineteenth century.
MouAViAN Colony Attemi'Ts T(j Settle
The second settlement — temporary though it was — within the present
borders of Lorain County was made by a delegation of Moravian or
(Jhrislian Indians, under the lead of the missionary, David Zeisbcrger,
during a few days of April, 1787. For fifteen or sixteen years both the
Indians and their faithful white leaders of the cloth had been striving
to find a chance to 'dwell anywhere in peace. Their persecutions by
enemy tribes, such as tlie Chippewas, Delawares and AVyandots, with
the connivance of both British and American soldiers, who seemed to
disapprove of industry and thrift on the part of the Red JMan, had
culminated in the cold-blooded massacre at Gnadenhutten, on the Tus-
carawas River, in 1782. Afterward they were invited to Detroit by the
eomnumder and traveled thither by way of Sandusky; finallj' settled
on the Huron River about thirty miles from Detroit and founded New
(iiradenhutten. Then, in the following year came the peace with Great
Britain, and within the following three years they had established a
pretty, industrious and contented settlement.
Would Return to Riuneo IMuskincuim Vit-laoes
r>ii1 the tronbles of the missionaries and llieir Indian wards were
by no iiir;iiis o\'rr. Tln' ( 'liippewiis had given lliriii Ihe IracI of liiiid
80 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
upon which the village stood and in 1786 claimed it again, saying their
hunting grounds had ])eeu injured hy its estal)lisliment. The savages
even threatened another massacre if they did not move on. Wliilc i^re-
paring for their departure tiiey received intelligence tiiat the Congress
of the United States, after the conclusion of the war, had given express
orders that tlie territory on the iMuskinguui formerly inhabited by the
Christian Indians (in the present Tuscarawas County) should be reserved
for them. But the Uelawares and the Shawanese, especially, were still
determined to oppose the United States and declared their intention to
oppose the return of the Moravian Indians. Notwithstanding, the mis-
sionaries and their people left New Gnadenhutten in April, 17S6, and,
with the assistance of the governor of Fort Detroit, were, in a few days,
embarked in two trading vessels belonging to the Northwest Fur Com-
pany for the mouth of the Cuyhoga River, the idea being that thence
they could easily reach the headwaters of the IMuskingum to the south
and return to their restored lands from which they had been driven
five years before.
Found PilgeUuii ( Pilgrim '.s Rest)
When within sight of their destination a violent storm drove the
vessels back toward the west. After many delays the two divisions were
reunited and reached the mouth of the Cuyahoga on the 7th of June.
Want of provisions made them hasten their departure and, proceeding
up the river, past the site of Cleveland, they came to an old deserted
Ottawa town about ten miles south, where they resolved to spend the
summer. Though the season was already far advanced, they cleared
the ground for planting and even sowed some Indian corn. They called
the place Pilgeruh, or Pilgrim's Rest. But the name proved to be sadly
misapplied.
Abandox Plan of Return to the Muskingum
Bands of Chippewas, Ottawas and Delawares often visited the new
mission, and those who had not been Christianized often strove to draw
the Cliristian Indians back to their traditional beliefs; and they not
infrequently succeeded. That troul)le, with persistent reports of threat-
ened renewal of hoslilities lietween the Americans and hostile Indian
tribes, deti.'rmined the missionaries to relinquish all idea of returning
to tlicii' abandoned villages on llu; i\Iuskiiigiim and to seek some con-
veiMcut spot betwei'ii the Cuyahdga and I'etciuotting (at the mouth of
till' iliii'dii River, ill lOrie Coniily).
HISTORY OF LOKAliX COUNTY 81
ORnEHED TO IMOVE On
It was at tliis point tliat tlio harried wanderers were to eiieainp upon
the soil of Loi'aiu (jouiity, at the inoutii of HIaek (Caiiesadooiiarie)
River. In April, 1787, they abandoned Pilgeruli and, dividing into
land and water parties, skirted the laice westward. In less than a week
they arrived at their destination. Tiie soil was fertile, producing wild
potatoes in abundance, apple and plum trees grew here and there, and
the lake near by produced all kinds of fish. Everything seemed pro-
pitious, but their joy was of only three' days' duration, for at the end
of that period of short proliation a Delaware captain appeared and gave
them positive orders to move on to Sandusk)*.
Three Days in Lorain County
The details of this period which directly concerns the nai-rative are
thus told by the missionary, Jolin Ileckewelder, whose laboi's covered
so many years among the Ohio Indians: "Shortly after the commence-
ment of the year 1787, accounts were received from various quarters
that the Christian Indians would not l)e permitted to stay wliere they
were at present, and that they would have to move nearer to tlie settle-
ments of the savages. The government of the United States had also
at this time advised the Christian Indians, througii General liutler,
agent of Indian affairs, not to move to the Muskingum for the present,
but to remain at Cuyahoga. The speech from Captain Pipe, already
taken notice of, called on them to leave the Cuyahoga and settle at
Petquotting.
"Such was the state of things at that time; and discouraging as it
was, we durst not look upon the speeches sent to us with indifference ;
especially what came from Captain Pipe. Whilst the Christian Indians
had this subject under consideration the hostile tribes were holding a
great council at Sandusky, at which it was finally resolved that a war
with the United States should commence and that if the believing Indians
would not decline going to the ]\Iuskingum they would force them to
do so, and that their teachers should not be taken prisoners as heretofore,
liut killed on the spot. A glimpse of hope, however, yet remained and
induced Ihem to l)elieve tliat a peace miglit yet take ])lace. Tiie Iro-
quois (Si.x Nations) it was said had sent a solemn embassy to all the
western nations, Imt parliculai'ly to flut Sliawanese, advising tiiem to
be at peace. A I'cport also cii'cubiled that the conuuandant at Detroit
had persuaded niiK! oi' ten ti'ibcs of Indians to keep llie pcaei;, and that
82 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
he even threatened such as sliould commit hostilities against the United
States.
"The (Jlirisliaii IndiaiiH, al'tcr inatuiu! dcliljcratioii on llie Kjioec^lics
whicli had Ix'cn sent thciii, resolved to seek for a spot of ground lictweeu
('uyalioga and Pet(|uotting, where they might live hy themselves in peace
and (|uiet without heing interrupted by the savages, and having for
that purpose examined the country along the lake, they found a place
(piite to their mind.
"At this time the following private message from a friendly Dela-
ware chief was brought out and delivered to the missionary Zeisberger:
'Grandfather! Having heard that you proposed going to live on the
^luskingum, I would advise you not to go thither this spring! I cannot
give you my reasons for so advising you (meaning that he durst not
disclose). Neither can I .say whether we shall have war or peace; but
so much I can .say — that it is not time yet to go there. Do not tliink that
I wish to oppose your preaching the word of God (the Gospel) to the
Indians. I am glad you do this, l)ut 1 advise you not to go to tlie
]\Iuskingum.' This gootl chief's friendly message was well understood.
Respecting the missionaries as his friends, he wai'iied them of the
danger they would ])e in, in going there.
"On the lyth of Ai)ril the Cliristian Indians closed their stay at
this place by otfering up solemn ])rayer and jjraise in their chapel.
They thanked the Lord for all blessings, both internal and external,
which he had showered down on them at this place, and then set out
in two parties, one by land and the other by water. The latter was,
however, delayed a couple of days on account of a dreadful storm
arising just at the moment they were about to run out of the Cuyahoga
river into the lake, the wind blowing violently from the opposite side
' on this shore. The waves beat witli such force against the natural wall
of stone or rocks that the whole earth seemed to tremble, and the
travellers thanked God that they at the time were in the river in safety,
and where they further had the good fortune 1o catch several hundred
good large fish by torch light — a iish called in this country the
maskenuntschi, or maskenunge, and nuich resembling the pike.
"On the 24th of April the lajid travelers and, on the day following,
these who were gone by water, arrived at the place they had fixed upon
as their future residence; which was on a large creek that emptied itself
into Die lake from the south, and where a 'tine fertile spot was found
much I'esembling an orchard, it being interspersed with crab apple
and plum trees; wild potatoes (an article of food much valued by the
Indians) were likewise fouiul here in abundance. In short, there was
noliiing wanting to encourage tliem to form a regular selliement at this
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 83
place, tlie wliieli the}' intendod to do should tlioy be permitted to remain
liere. This, however, was iiot the case, Tor on tlie 27th they were
api)i'ised by a Delaware cai)tain, who was sent for tlu; ])urj)0se, tliat
they Were not permitted to stay, but must i)roceed on to Sandusky,
where a place ten mih^s distant from tlie nearest habitation of Indians
was destined foi- them to live at, and where ])rotection woulil be granted
them; that the orders he ))rought were positive and must be oiieyed
without furtlier consideration. The captain was furtiier charged with
a sei)arate message to Zeisberger to this effect: 'Hear my friend! You,
my grandfathei'! I know that you have formally been adopted by our
chiefs as a member of the nation. No oiu' shall hurt you, and you need
not be afraid, or have any scruples, about coming to live at Sandusky'
(delivering a string of wampum).
"The answer given to the foregoing speech was, of course, in the
affirmative- yet not without representing to the captain, the malice,
deceit and treachery imposed upon tliem for these six or seven years
past.
"While prejiaring to leave this favorite spot, IMichael Young who, as
before I'clated, had gone to Hethleheni from Upper Canada in 178:^, now
returned to resume his missionai'y station and joining the company,
they continued their journey as before, some travelling by land wiiile
others, with the baggage, went by water. Arriving at the Huron river,
which emj)tied itself into Lake Erie about thirty miles to the eastward
of Sandusky, they learned, from good aulhoi'ity, that the message sent
lliem by llie savage ehief was not llie li'utli, and thai llie ])lace allotted
foi- tiiem to live at was but two miles from Ihe village ol' tlie savages,
and tiuit the real intention of tiiem was to di'aw tlie Ciiristian Indians
ba<'k into heatiienism. The latter, linding this to be tlieii- object, resolved
not to go any further for the present, but to remain where they were in
opposition to the orders of the chiefs, let tiie eonseciuenee be what it
would.
"Aftei- running their canoes a few miles up the rivei' tlu'v, on the
mil of May, halted and all hands luniing out, both men and women,
they erected foi' llieiiiselves, on the same day, a siiffieieiit niiml>er of
small hark huts to lodge in, and on the next Ai^y sent a (le|)u1ation to
the chiefs giving their reason for wliat they had done, on which they
wei'c permitted to stay where they wei'e I'oi' one year unmolested. The
village was aft<'rward built on the east side of a high hliill' and their
eoi'ti fields wei'e Oil the opposite side, 'i'o this place, which tiicy named
New Salem, the heathen sometimes came to hear the prcaehinii' of the
(lospel, some of whom also .joined the congregation, liecoming sti-ady
memliefs (»r the church."
84 HISTORY OF LOKATN COUNTY
Final Kctukn to thl: Muskingum
Strictly writing, the author .should dismiss tho Moravian colony
wlicn its members, under the faithful Zeisberger, left the mouth of the
Black Itiver for the mouth of the Huron, but it is excusable to add that
after founding New Salem, near the site of the present Milan, Erie
County, they were forced into Canada, about eighteen miles from
Detroit, in 1791. Tliey rested there a year, were tlien moved to laud on
the Thames, in I-']nglish territory, and establislied the flourishing settle-
ment of Fairfield, and, five years afterward, returned to their American
lands on the Muskingum, where, under Zeisl)erger and Ileckewelder,
they founded Go.shen on the site of tlieir old town, Schoenbrunn. Fair-
field, their Canadian village, was destroyed in 1813, during the War of
1812.
D.vvii) Zei.sheuger, Wuuld-Be Settler
David Zeisberger, the missionary, who may be called the first white
iium to attempt a permanent settlement on what is the soil of Lorain
County, died at Goshen (now a few miles southeast of New Pliihulel-
piiia, Tu.scarawas County), on November 17, 1808, in the eighty-eiglith
year of his age. One of his Ijrother missionaries writes of him thus:
"Of this long life he had .spent above sixty years as a missionary among
Hie Indians, suffering numberless hardships and privations and endur-
ing many dangers. He had acquired an extensive knowledge of the
Delaware language and several otlier Indian tongues. But most of his
translations, vocal)ularies and other books for the in.struction of the
Indians being only in manuscript were burned on tlie ]\Iuskingum
(during the massacre of 1782), and the unsettled state of the mission
for a long period after, his other multifarious avocations and his advanc-
ing age,, did not allow him sufficient leisure or strength completely to
make up his loss. His zeal for the conversion of the heathen never
abated and no consideration could induce him to leave his beloved
Indian flock. The younger missionaries revered him as a father, and
before they entered upon tiieir labors generally spent some time at
Goshen to profit Ijy his coun.sel and instruction. Within a few months
of his death he became nearly blind, yet being perfectly resigned to the
v.'ill of God, lie did not lost; his \isual cheerfulness, and, lliough his body
was worn almost to a sUflctoii, his jiKlgmciil remained unimpaired."
Heekwclder, in his "Nai'rative," says: "In the. (evening of his days,
v.licn his faculties began to fail him, his desire to depart and l)e with
CliiisI increased. Al. IIk; same time he awaited his dissolulioii with
IIISTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY 85
uniform, calm and dignified resignation to the will of liis ]\Iaker, and in
the sure and certain hope of exchanging this world for a better. Tlis
last words wei'e 'Lord Jesus, T pray thee come and take my spirit to
thyself.' And again 'Thou hast never yet forsaken me in au}' trial;
thou wilt not forsake me now.' A very respecta1)le comi)any attended
his funeral. The solemn serviee was performed in the English, the
Delaware and (Jerman languages, to suit tlie diffei'iMit auditors."
As to Ills sirholarly aeciuirements in the field to wliich he had so
long dcvofed himself, Ileckewelder adds: "lie made himself complete
master of two of the Indian languages, the Onondago and the Delaware,
and actpiired some knowledge of several others. Of the Onondago he
composed two grauunars, one written in English aiul the other in Ger-
man. He likewise compiled a dictionary of the Delawai'e language,
which in the nuiiuiseri])t contained several hundred pages Nearly tlie
whole of these manuscripts was lost at the hui-ning of the settlement
on tlie ]\ruskingum. A spelling book in the same language has passed
through two editions (written in 1820). A volume of sermons to Chil-
dren and a hymn hook containing uj)Wards of live hundred hymns,
eliielly li'aiislalions from the English and (Jerman hymn liooks in use
in the Hi-ethren's cliureh, h.ive also been jjidilished in the Delaware (or
Lenape) language. lie left behind him, in mainiscript, a grammar of
the Delawai'e, written in Genuan, and a translation into the same
language of Lieberkuehn's 'Harmony of the Four Gospels.' The former
of these works has since been tran.slated into English for the American
Philosophical Society l)y P. ^^. Du Ponceau, of Philadelphia, and the
Female Auxiliary ]\Iissionary Society of Bethlehem has undertaken the
l)ul)lication of th(i 'Harmony.' " We learn further that Zeisberger was
of low, sturdy stature and cheerful countenance — evidently a stalwart,
earnest, enthusiastic, steadfast German, who eonunanded such uni-
versal respect and affection that we are proud to welcome him as the
pioneer settler of Lorain County, and only regret that his stay could
not iiav(' been longer and more satisfactory.
Skttlejients from 1807 to 1812
In 1807, the year before the death of the beloved and venerable
missionary, permanent settlement commenced at and near the mouth
of tile Plaek Piver, llie hxtalities which were the scenes of the Moravian
a1teni|)ls, and of Smith's visit befori- them. In that year (1807) there
came I'rom tin- l^ast A/.ariah Peebe and his wife. Tlicy iialted at the
mouth of the Canesadooharie, as the I\loravian colony Inul done twenty
yeai's before; they also saw that the country was t'nir lo look iip'>u loir.
8() HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
so thoy l)uilt a loj,' cahin on tlio sito of tlie di'scrtod villiiKo. Snoii tlii'y
were joined by Nalliiiii J'orry, the Inider; tlie Coimecticiil colony i)ene-
li-at('(I iMhind and settled in ('oluinliia Tovvnsliij), a few months afl(!r-
wai'd, and from 1810 additions to the lake region were qnite continnons
nntil the coiiuneneement of hostilities with Great Uritain.
A War Scare of 1812
Lorain C'onnl^' was l)y no means exempt from war "scares" during
those ti-ying limes to the region of tiie lower lakes and the scene of the
greatest naval activities. Very early in the war period the word was
passed through all the lake shore settlements of the county that a large
party of hostile British had landed at Huron, a few miles west. ]\Ien,
women and children fled their homes in terror, and as the inhabitants
of Ridgeville readied Columbia in their flight they found that settlement
nearly al)andoned. Tiiis panic, however, was of short duration,' for
Levi Bronson, returning froui Cleveland, brought the well-autiicnticated
news tliat the persons landed at Huron were tiie prisoners that Hull
surrendered, at Detroit, to the British. On the return of those who
had .sought safety in flight from Colum])ia, the elder Bronson, who had
refused to join them, informed thein that "the wicked flee wiien no
man pursueth."
Preparkdkess
The inhabitants of Columbia, Ridgeville, ]\Iiddl('bury and Laton,
however, at onee joined in the erection of a blockhouse, just south of
the center of the Town of Cohuubia. This was the fortress to which
to flee foi- safety in the hour of danger. Captain Iloadley had tiie honor
of commanding this post. A eoiiipaiiy was organized to garrison it, but
we are well informed that the enemy had not the temerity to come
within reach of its guns. The Captain and his men were mustered into
tlic service, and paid as soldiers of tlie United States army. Able-bodied
men constituted the garrison, while the old men, women and children
were left nnprotected, at their homes, to cultivate the soil and receive
the first assiiult of the unexpected foe. The roar of the cannon, off
Put-in-Bay Island, on the 10th of September, 18i;{, was the first and
the last heard of Die enemy after these military preparations for defense
were made.
h\)V some time jirter hostilities with Creal Uritiiin had ceased there
were few signs of a revival of colonization to the lake shore region, but
in 1817, after the wai- clouds had fiiii'ly lifted, Heman VAy pliitled his
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 87
land at tlie mouth of Black River. Then there was another pause for
ih'ciilcd (IcvelopiiU'nts, wliii-li came witliiii tlie succeeding three years.
"As yet," says tlie Lorain Times-IIei'ald in its "-Perry Centennial"
edilion oT VJl'A, "the .settlement on tlie Canesadooharie had not felt the
pulse of industry. It was coming.
Eastern Shipbuilders Driven West
"Over on the Connecticut river Augustus Jones and William Mur-
dock luid been shipbuilders before the war. A raid liy tlie British, who
ascended the Connecticut under the cover of darkness and ])urned their
ship-yard.s, left the two men, among other fellow craftsmen, almost
penniless. When the Government, in 1820, offered them land in the
AVestern Reserve, they accepted the prolVer and took grants near the
mouth of Black river.
Lorain's Early Shipbuilding Industry
"So began Lorain's ship-])uilding industry. From tlie start, made
by the establishment of the yards of Jones and Murdoek, this new
activity flourished. Ship-carpenters, the community's lirst employed
workingmen, came from the East. As the industry grew, other master
builders estal)lished yards. Not only along the river, but on the lake
shore, east and west of the harbor mouth, wooden sailing vessels were
built and launched. The first merchant ship to sail Lake Superior was
turned out of a yard here. There was no navigable passage then between
Lake Sui)erior and Lake Huron, and the vessel had to be taken from
the water on the Northern Peninsula of ^liehigan, portaged overland
and launched into White Fish Bay.
"In addition to August Jones and William ]\Iurdock, other early
shipbuilders mentioned in available records were F. Church, Captain
A. Jones and his sons, William and B. B. ; A. Gillmore, Edward Gill-
more, Jr., and F. N. Jones. From F. N. Jones' yard, in 1837, was
launched the first steamboat built at Lorain, the Bunker Hill. The
completed hull was towed to Cleveland, where the machinery, which
liad been brought overland by o.\-teams, was installed.
"Some of the shipbuilders had become ship owners. Fleets of
schooners, iiitei'spi'rsed with an o(;('asional 's(|uare-rigger,' sailed in and
oul oi' Plack I'iver, carrying the communily's commerce over its only
meiiiis of lransi)ortation, the water. In ISlUi vessel owners here joined
themselves into the Black Uiver Sleand)oat Association. Lorain's history
lis a lake [)oi'l had begun.
88 HISTORY OJ^^ LOKAIN COUNTY
Black JRiver Settlement ]5ecomes Charleston Village
"11, vviiH ill \h{.'. KiiiiK! year — lH:t(i — llmt, the; .sctllcinciit, iitilil llicn
known iis Jilack liivcr, was in corpora teil as a village;. Cliarlostoii, grow-
ing into importanee as a siiipping point, prcsentt'd tlie paradox of hav-
ing no means of coniniercial transportation exci-pt the water. To pro-
viile a eonnection witii the county seat at Elyria a ])lank road, with a
re<?idation toll gate, was l)uilt between the two viUages. The present
J?roadway, from its lower end at tlie river front to al)out the Fifth-
street intersection, lies on the line of tlie ohl planked highway.
Hearse, First Public Utility
"Charleston was luisy but not comfortable as a living i)la('e. Despite
the fact that old residents of today, recalling the days of the '40s and
'50s, declare proudly that Charleston^ had no doctors ])ecause it needed
none, they admit that the conuuunity was infested with malaria and
typhoid in the hot summer months. Undi'ained marsh land along the
river provided a breeding place for disease which the village, lacking
public sanitation, was unable to combat. Ship-yard workers left the
place in the suminei- for a more healthful climate. 'Those of us wlio
I'enuiined in the summers dared not die, liecause there weren't men
enough to bury us,' an old resident said to the writer. 'Our oidy ceme-
tery for a time was on Bank street, now Sixth. We had no hearse.
When someone died, we had to convey the body to the burying ground
in a farm wagon. Then a cemetery was established at Amherst. The
two villages went in together and bought a hearse. I guess that hearse
was the community's first inunici])ally-owned public utility.'
"Until 1S50 (!harlcston had no church. Services were held in the
homes of the villagers, a circuit rider coming in fi'om the outside to
attend to the spiritual needs of the settlement. The first i)ul)lic meeting
house was an all-denominational institution erected on the corner of
Washington avenue and West Erie. Later, the meeting house was
moved to the present site of the First Congregational Church, Fourth
street and AVashingtou avenue.
"District school was held in a big barnlike wooden building on the
site of the present No. 1 fire station.
"Connnerce had its difdcullics, also. 'IMicrc weiv no i)i'()tcclii)n i)iers
to fend oil" from the iiarbor mouth the fury of the sloi'ms. A north-
easter would send sand-laden seas aci'oss the lowlands on the cast side
of the river and the channel woidd chok(; up with silt. Afler unusually
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 89
severe storms the villagers could wade across the river at the lower end
of the old plank road.
Plowing Out a River Channel
" 'The storms made it bad for vessels that were in the harbor,' tlie
old residenter said. 'Often there would be several schooners at the
sawmill up at Globeville (Globeville was the name given to the territory
of the present South Lorain). To get the boats out into the lake again,
the men would take their teams and plows down upon the sandbar in
the river, and plow out a channel which tlie current would enlarge
sufficiently to allow the passage of the bottled-up vessels.'
Early Hotels
"Without a railroad, Charleston had two big hotels and an immense
boarding house. On the site of the present "Wagner building was the
Reid House, Iniilt and owned by Conrad Reid. Where the abandoned
S. L. ]*ierce shoe factory stands was the Lanipman House, owned and
operated ])y the late ]\Ianred Lampman. Across from the Lampman
House was the Canard, a boarding house that passed through several
hands and finally burned one night, furnishing the village with the
first big fire in its history.
Charleston's Lean Years
"Charleston was sanguine. Its shipbuilding industry was expand-
ing and bringing the village fame among Great Lakes communities.
Then came a reaction that was to mean many cheerless, sterile years for
the village on the l)anks of the old Caijesadooharie.
"The railroad was coming westward from the Hudson over the trail
of the ox-teams. The Cleveland and Toledo railroad stretclied an iron
highway across Ohio. But Charleston was left out of the itinerary of
the iron horse. The line passed through Elyria, and the interior trade
tiiat had been Charleston's fell into the willing lap of the county seat.
The farmers Avho had l)eeii wont to haul their produce over the plank
road to the wharves at Charleston, found it more convenient to haul it 1o
tiic freight depot at Elyria. Cluirleston began to jiitie away. The Hlack
K'iver Steamboat Association became a tiling of llie past. The sons of
Ihc village went out to broader fields. Her old men — those who had rung
llicii- fixes in llic I'oresl wlicti Cbai'lrstoM luul been a sctHeiiicnl — died,
mid Ibi'ir Idiiibstoiics in Ihc lilHe i»l<l cciiicti'rv on Sixth street lire lirokeii
!)() IIISTORV ()!<' LOHAIN COIINI'V
and HTowu over with mos-s. A few of the sliiphiiihh'rs rcmaiiU'd — l)iit
only a iV'w — a lew tnulei-s, a hlacksniith or two, and the attemhuit arti-
sans who wait on villaj^e neei'ssities.
Scent op the Coming Iron Horse
"Years passed thus. Then in 1872 came the awakening that was to
niai'k the beginning of the last epoch in the development of what is now
incorporated Lorain." None in these days is so den.se that he does not
scent the coming railroad; in Lorain's case, it was the Baltimore & Ohio.
With the ground cleared for the real building of the City of Lorain,
the review j^asses to other foundation events in the county's history.
First Colony op^ Per.m.\next Settlers
"With the Indian titles to the lands west of tlie Cuyahoga cleared by
treaty, and any prior complications guaranteed by the Connecticut Land
Company, the tirst colony of permanent settlers, with their families,
conniieiiced to arrive in what is now the northeastern borders of Lorain
County, in the fall of 1807. in Septemlier of that year a company of
thirty i)ersons left AVaterbury, Connecticut, for that part of the county.
Its members were as follows: Calvin Iloadley, wife and five children;
Lenuiel Iloadley. wife, three children, father and wife's mother; Lathrop
Seymour and wife; John AVilliauis, wife and live children; a Mrs. Parker,
with four children; Silas Iloatiley and Chauncey Warner; ami Bela
Jironson, wife and child. The colony spent two months in reaching
Buffalo, took boat for the mouth of the Cuyahoga, but were cast ashore
in a storm near Erie, and many of them were coini)elled to make the
remainder of the journey on foot.
'"The greater part of this company," says Boynton, "stopped at
Cleveland and remained through the winter. But Bela Bronson, wife
and child; Levi Bronson, John Williams and AValter Strong, puslied
across the Cuyahoga, cut their way through the wilderness to Columbia,
erected a log house and commenced pioneer life. They were eight days
in cutting their way from Cleveland to Columbia.
"In tile winter of 1S07-8, the families of John Williams and James
(ieer, arrived; and in the; sjjring and summer of 1808, those who
remaineil at Cleveland during llie winter, arrived also. At the appor-
lioiiiueut, by draft, in 1807, l-evi iJronson, Harmon Bronson, A/.or l>ron-
son, ("alvin Iloadley, and Jared Ix'ichards, had formed an association
called the Waterl)ury Land Company. This company, Menjamin Doo-
liltle, ,Ir., Samuel Doolitllc, and William Law, di'ew that township, as
IIISTORV OK LOKAIX COUNTY 91
No. f), Kiiiige 15, witli 2,050 acres in liichficld imd Boston, in Snimiiit
eonnty, annexed to equalize it.
CoMJAIIilA TOVVNKUU' OUUANIZKU
"Columbia, at the time of its organization, which took place in
1809, was a part of Geauga county. The tirst election was held on the
first ^Monday of April, of that year, at the house of Calvin IIoadle3\
There were nineteen voters at the election. Calvin Iloadley, Jared
J'ritchard and John AVilliams were elected trustees. Bela Bronson
was elected clerk. Having no use for a treasurer, none was elected.
Laliiroj) .Seymour was elected constable aiul, to i)rovi(le him emi)loy-
mcnt, in I\Iay following, Nathaniel J^oan was elected justice of the
peace. All of (Jeauga county lying west of ('olumbia, was annexed to
that township for judicial and other jjurposes. The jurisdiction of that
functionary, covered, in territorial extent, nearly an eiiii)ire. Tiie plain-
till' on the first action l)rought before him, lived on (ii-and River, and
the defendant on the Vermillion. It was the case of Skiiiuer v. liaker.
The i)laintiff had judgment, which was paid, not in legal tender, but in
labor. The first school taught was in the summer of 1808, by .Mrs. Bela
Bronson, in the first log house erected."
Pioneer Setti>ers of Ridgeville i
After Columbia, the next si'ttlers in the county located in the Town-
ship of Ridgeville, nearer Lake Erie. Tlu-y were also Watcrbury peo[)le.
alliiough the original drawer of the township was a Hartford lawyer
named Ephraim Root. For a few years after its settlement it was called
Rootstown, after Lyman Root, the original owner of the township and
one of tile colony of purchasers and settlers. In 180f)-lO Oliver Terrell,
Ichabod Terrell and David Beeljc, resid*;nts of Waterl)ury, exchanged
their lands in that place for about one-fourth the Township of Ilitlgeland.
In the spring of 1810 j\Ir. Beebe, with his sons David and Lonuin, Joel
Terrell and Lyman Root, left Waterbury and, after a long journey,
reached Ridgeville. On tlie 6th of July of that year Tillotson Terrell
arrived, with his wifi^ and tlu-ei^ children. His was the first family that
si'llled in the to\viishi|i. In the suMuiier of that year David Ueebc, dr.,
rtliirrird to Waterbury and brought on the family of his father, and
the wife and childri'n of Lyman Root. At the same time, Iciiabod
Tci-i-cU, his wife Rhoda, and five children, his father aiul Asa Moi'gan,
his teamster, exchaMged their Conueclicut homes and comforts foi- tlu'
niitrii'il cxperii'iices ol" frontier life. Oliver Terrell, I'lilher of Ichabod,
92 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
ui)\vards of eiglity years of age, made tlie entire trip on horseback. They
reached Ridgevillo in the fall, cutting a wagon road from IJocky River
to the i)lace of destination. They were two days and three Jiights en
route from Kocky J{iver. The company that came on in tlie spring had
huilt a small caliin of logs of such size as so few could carry, the roof
l)eing of bark and the iioor of earth. This cabin was built in the first
clearing made. Here all had lived together and kept bachelor's hall.
Upon tlie arrival of Tillotson Terrell and family, in tiie early jjart of
July, he "moved in" and remained until the erection of a log house
for himself and family. This was not long after his advent into the
town. About the same time David lieebe, Sr., built a log house, a little
west and nearly opposite the residence of the late Garry Root. These
log cabins were an im])rovenient on the one previously built, in one
respect at least: each had a puncheon Hoor and an opening for a window.
As window glass was an article not posses.scd, foolscap paper was em-
I)loyed in its stead ; ami while it was a poor instrument to exclude the
cohl air from the rude dwelling, it was the best means possessed as a
sul)stitute for the admission of light. Joel Terrell, one of the tii-.st of
the spring company, returned to Connecticut in 1810, and remained
until 1811, when, with his family, he directed his steps again westward
to his future home.
The families of David Bee])e, 8r., Lyman Root and Tchabod Terrell,
that came on in the fall of 1810, consisted of Iwcnty jjcrsons. They
were seven weeks on the way. Two yokes of oxen to a wagon, with a
horsi' as a leader, constituted the motive power that conveyed them
hither, lihoda Terrell, the wife of Tchabod, was a survivor of the
AV'yoming massacre; and at her death left ninety-one grandchildren and
a large number of grcat-grandciiildren.
Tlie first schoolhouse was erected near the center of the town, on the
sjiot where the Tuttle House afterward stood. It was consumed by
lire in 1814. The first frame house was built hy ^Inj. Willis Terrell.
Early IMills
The first mill for grinding flour was the offspring of necessity. It
was erected near where Tillotson Terrell built his log house. 11 was
llie mortar and pestle. A log about three feet in length, cut from a
pepix'i'agc tree, set on its end and burned out round in the to|), with
a pestle attached to a sjiring ])ole; llies(! were the sum total of its parts
and its meelianism. This was a familiar and friendly acquaintaiici! of
llie neighhoring inhabitants, and by tlicui was kept in constant use, until
lime and meaiis broiiglil in better days. In 1S|'J-1:! .|osej)li Calioon, of
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 93
Dover, l)uilt a grist mill on the small creek at the center. Cai)tain
Iloadley, of Columl)ia, possessed a hand grist mill; and in the winter
of ]81(i-17 a mill was l)uilt at Elyria, thus removing the necessity for
the further use of the mortar and pestle.
RiDGEViLLE Township Org.vnized
The Township of Ridgeville was organized in 1813. At the spring
election of that year there were fifteen voters; and they were all at the
election. Judges of election were provided, and the polls were opened.
David Beehe, Ichahod Terrell and Joel Terrell were elected trustees.
Joel Terrell was elected ju.stice of the peace; David Beehe, Jr., con-
stahle, and Willis Terrell, township clerk. A postotifice was established
in 1815, and Closes Eldred appointed po.stmaster. Up to this date the
Cleveland postoffiee was the ueai-est. Town No. 5, in the same range
(Eaton), was included in the organization of Ridgeville.
Eaton Township Settled
Eaton Township was settled, in the fall of 1810, by mend)ers of the
colony who came from "Waterljury, Connecticut, as associates of those
who located in what is now Ridgeville Township. Before its incorpoi'a-
tion by name, it was designated on the maps as town 5, range 16, and
was tiie property originally of Caleb Atwater, Turhand Kirtland,
llolbrook and ten others. Tract 1, gore 4, range 11, was almexed to it,
to bring it up to full value. It was originally called llolbrook, and
retained that name until 1822, from the circumstance that Daniel IIol
brook was a large owner of its soil. It was first settled in the fall of
1810, by Asa Jlorgan, Silas Wilmot, Ira B. ]\Iorgan and Elxiiiezer ^Yil-
inot. These were all single men. They came from Waterbury, Con-
necticut, in the spring and summer, with those who took up their abode
in Ridgeville. They built a log house, in the fall pf that year, on the
land long occupied by Silas Wilmot, and jointly occupied it, until, by
change in their circumstances, sucli occupancy was no longer desirable.
By agreement, this hou.se ])ecame the property of Silas Wilmot. It was
the first erection in the town.
In 1812, Silas Wilmot married Chloe Iluljbard, of Ashtabula County.
They commenced married life in a log cal)in on the Ridge. His was the
first family that settled in the town. Soon after, Ira B. Morgan inter-
married with Louisa Bronson, of Columi)ia, built a log house just east of
Wihnot's, and tliere took up his abode. Ilis family was the second tiiat
took up its residence in the town. Asa soon married and settled west
of Wilmot's.
<J4 HISTORY OK LORAIN COUNTY
Not long after, tlio familit's of Levi iMills, Tlniret F. Chapman,
Seneca Andress, JNleritt Osboru, A. iM. Dowd, Dennis Palmer, Sylvester
Morgan and others wen; addcMl. The first seliool was taught hy Julia
Johnson, daughter of Piiiiieas, then a resident of No. 5, range 1(J.
Civil Organization
The organization of the Townsliip of Ridgeville included Eaton ;
and the two towns were embraced in cue civil organization, until
December 3, 1822, at which time it was ordered by the commissioners
of Cuyaiioga County, on the petition of the inhabitants, that No. 6 (5),
range 16, be set off into a township by the name of Eaton. At the
spring election, in 1832, the reipured township officers were elected, the
township detached from Ridgeville and organized for independent
action.
The Beebes and Peruys of Black River
As an interesting historic event the attempt of the Moravian mis-
sionaries to establish a po.st at the mouth of the Black River in 1he
])resent township by that name has been described in detail. It will be
remembered that they remained a few days before leaving in tlu; face
of tlie threats of the Delaware chief, and their coming had no con-
nection with the .settlement whicli ap[)roachetl permanency; that honor
fell to the Beebes, Vermonters, in 1807, which, for Lorain County,
may be called the "year of assurance." Nathan Perry, Jr., son of
Nathan Perry, of Cleveland, both of Vermont, opened a store at Black
River for trade with the Indians. lie employed Azariali Beobe as his
advance agent, who, with his wife, went aiiead, ojiened the store and
comiiienced housekeeping. jMr. Perry soon after followed and boarded
with tliem. The store and residence wei'e located east of the river. The
]>cebes remained there for several years and then dropped out of sight.
No addition was made to the settlement until 1810, but in the
spring of that year Daniel Periy, an uncle of Natlum, Jr., settled with
his family near the mouth of the Black River. lie, also, was fi'om
Vermont. He remained at that locality but a few yeai's, then moved
to Siieffield and thence to l^rownhelm, whei'e he spent the i-emaiiidei-
of a vei-y useful life. Lix'al historians geuei'ally give'lhe I'errys, uncle
and nei)hew, the credit ol' calling es])ecial attention to the eomiiiercial
advautages of th(^ locality around the mouth ol' the illack, and of ))lan1-
ing the seed of the coiiuiiunity which finally developed into the large
iiiihisl rial ( 'il y of Loi'iiin.
IllSTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY 95
Other Pioneers
Diiriiif,' 1810, tli(! year of Daniel I'crry's arriviil, caiiK; 1o l{la(;k
]{iviT 'I'ounsliip -Jacoh Sliupc, .loscj)!! (^iit,'lL'y, iicoiga Kelso, Andri-w
Kelso, Kaljdi l.yoii and a Mr. Seeley, some of wiioiii settled in wliat
hecanu' Aiidierst, Towiisiiii). in the foiio\vin<,r year the little colony was
inereased hy the arrival of John S. Keid, Quartus Giiniore, Aretus
Gihuore and ^Villian^ .Martin. Mr. Reid was a man of great energy of
eliaracter, and soon became prominent, as the leading citizen of the town.
He 'was one of the first three commissioners npon the organization of
the county, in 1824, and before then, and while Black River was a part
of Huron County, in 1819, he was a commissioner of that county. He
was one of the commissioners of Huron County that directed the joint
organization of Elyria and Carlisl.-. He died in 18:31, and his son
Conrad spent his life in the township. Quartus and Aretus Gilmore
were sons of Ednnind, who moved to Black River with his family in
1S12. He was the owner of a large tract of land in Black River and
Amherst, and built, in that year, tlie first framed barn ever erected in
the county.
Black River Townsiui' Org.\nized .
On the 14lli of November, 1811, the Township of Dover was organ-
ized by the commissioners of Cuyahoga County. It incltided within its
defined limits the present townsliii)s of Dover, Avon, Siieffiold, and that
])arl of Black River east of the river; and on tiie 12lh of Mareh, 1812,
the lei'rilory now comprising the townships of Klyria, Amhei'st, all of
Black Rivei" west of the river, and Hrownhelm were attaciied to Dover
for township pui'poses. Tiiey remained so attached until Vermillion
was oi'ganized, wlien the towns now known as Andierst, Hrownhelm and
])lack River, west of the river, were annexed to that township. On the
27t!i of October, 1818, the Township of Troy was organized and included
the i)reseiit towns of Avon and all of Shcflield and lUark River lying
east of the river, it will lie remembered that Huron County was organ-
ized ill 1815, and was extended east of Black Iiiver, and for a distance
beyond it. 7\t the Febrnai'y sessi(ni, in. 1817, of liie commissioneis of
Huron Counly, it was ordered tlial Township No. G (Amherst) and
that part of Xo. 7 (Black River) in llie Miuhleeiilh Range wliieii lay
ill t he ( !ouMly of I liiroii, with all (he lands therelo a It ached in said II iiroii
County, be set oiV from llie Township of X'ei'miilioii and organized into
a separate towiishi]) under the name of Black River. Tims Amherst,
Black Ri\'ei- and Hrownhelm were first organized as Black River.
96
HISTORY OF LOR A FN COUNTY
III Juno, 1824, tlic corner oP tlic town lyiiif? cjist of llio river was
annexed to JJIaek River Townsliip I'oi- jndieial purposes. The first
election for offieors of Ulack Riv(;r 'i'ownsliip was lield in April, 1817.
Tile names of all the officers elected are not known. There were two
postof'fices in the town.
<^^ ^^i-tJy ^(yi^yj-j
x:
^^^;^^0:^^z^i^^t:) Cj2^,.
The Black River ]iostofnce was located on fhe Houtli River, now
South Aiiih(!rst, and tlu( olher was nauK^d '"i'he JMoutii of Black liivcr
i'osf Ol'lice." lOIipliah'l l\fdin^,'t()n was the lirsf postiiuistcr ol' Ihc ol'lici'
on South River, and John S. Reid of the postoflice at tlie mouth of Black
River.
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 97
FolINDlNO OF LoKAlN ClTY
It was not, Until 1S17 thai tlic .sclllcnictit, at the rnoiilli of Ww. lUack
JtivLT pi'OMii.sed to blossom into a fiill-l>lo\vn village. In that year Judge
Ilenian Ely, also the founder of Elyria, established his colony in that
portion of the great tract which lie had purchased from the Connecticut
Land Company. In his early manhood Judge Ely had spent some time
in the Province of Lorraine, France, and the pleasant memories of his
residence in that charming and romantic country induced him to sug-
gest the name of the new county which was created by the Legislature
in 1822. The French spelling was, liowever, contracted and Anglicized.
Afterward the boat-liuilding and fishing settlement at the mouth of
Black River took that name. The fine harbor at that locality, added to
these industries, made it quite an important lake port, before the early
'70s, when the railroads entered the land territory naturally tributary
to it ; it was incorporated as a village ; the steel works and other large
industries located; population increased rapidly; it was incorporated
as a city and established its position as the leading commercial and
industrial center of the county and one of the most thriving musiicipali-
ties on Lake Erie. Abundant proof of these general statements is
afforded in the details packed into succeeding pages.
Early Settlers op Amherst Township
Jacob Shupe, already mentioned, is entitled to the post of honor as
the pioneer settler of what is now Amherst Township. He came into
Black River in 1810 and early in the following year moved over the line
into Amhei'st and settled upon Beaver Creek. Within a short time he
erected both saw and grist mills, and several years afterward the first
whiskey distillery in the township. He spent his money to the limit in
various primitive improvements, and it was while making an extension
to one of his mills on Beaver Creek, in 1832, that a timber fell on him
and caused injuries which resulted in his death. His widow lived to
be ninety years of age.
In October, 1815, Chileab Smith settled with his family on Little
Beaver Creek, in Amherst, four miles west of Elyria, where he lived
until his death. He opened and kept the first tavern in that vicinity.
During the same year Stephen Cable, before then a resident of Ridge-
ville, moved from the latter town and took up his residence near the
Corners, formerly called Ilidbert's Corners, si.v miles west of P^lyria.
In the yciar 181G Reuben Webb settled on the farm lying at "Webb's
Corners." In 1817 there were other additions to the town, among them
/JH,.?!'
98
HISTORY OF LORAlx\T COUNTY
the family of Thomas Waito, whieli i-cmaiiicd l)nt ono year, and thon
removed into Kiissia. The i'amily of Kzckial (.'randall settled near
(Jal)le'H.
JOHIAII IIaURIS
In the year 1818 Josiah Harris settled at what is now North Amherst,
where he spent a long and \iseful life. He came from Becker. Berkshire
Judge Jusiaii Harris
County, RTassaelnisetts. He was elected justice of the peace in 1821,
and heUl tlie oHiee tiy re-election lor tliirty-si.\ eonsecutive years, lie
Avas i)()stmastei- at North Amherst foi- a continuous period of forty
years; was the first sheriiV of the county; was appointed associate judge
ill 1S2!), and served for tlie jx'riod of seven y.-ars. lie was the oliject of
IIlSTOFiY OF LORAIN COUNTY 91)
universal respect l)y tlie iiiliabilauts of tlie town of liis a<loj)tion.
'riiroil^li tlie lieiielieeiiee of his eoiliisel, parlies lili^Mi.l often left, his
eoiirl. vvilli their cause nniieahly sellled, with all irrilalion reinoveil, ainl
pei'sonal good feeling restored.
Khenc/er Whiton became a resident tlu; same or the i)revious year.
I'jliphalet lledington settled on the .South Ridge, now Soutli Aiidierst,
in h'ebruary, 3818. lie was selected by the Legislature as one of the
conuiiittee to locate the road leading fi'oni tlie eastern termination of
the one running east from tiie foot of the rajiids of tlu; ]\Iiami of the
Lake to Elyria.
JOIijab Saiulersou settled near him in the same year. Prior to 1820
there were numerous additions to the town, among whom were Calel)
Ormsl)y, Ezekial Hai'nes, Elias Peal)ody, Thompson Blair, Israel Cash.
Roswell Crocker, Harry Kedington, Jesse Smith, Adoniram Webb,
Frederick Henry, Michael, David and George Onstine.
As A Political Body
In the meantime, while this region near tlie lake shore was being
settled, the present Townsliip of Aiidierst was being l)rought into shape.
Tliis was not effected until 1830. Old Black River Township was organ-
ized in April, 1817, as a part of Huron County. Brownlielm Township
was detaclied in 1818, and Russia in 1825, leaving the territory now
embraced in tlie townships of Amherst and Black River as one town-
ship, under the name of lilack River Townsliii). On January 12, 18.30,
the Oliio Legislature passed a sjiecial act of division. This was made
necessary in view of the act prohibiting the incorporation of any town-
shij) with an area of less than twenty-two s(|uare miles; the territory
to be divided made it impossible to abide l)y tiiat law and tiui Legislature
thei'efore passed a special measnre on the date named. The inhabitants
of fractional township No. 7, range 18, in tlie Connecticut Western
Reserve, were incorporated as the Townshij) of lilaek River, and town-
ship No. 6, in the same range, as Amherst.
The fii'st officers of Amherst Townsliip were elected at the April
election of 1830.
Amherst as a Village
For many years it was seen that the Corners, nearly in the center
of the township, was tlic logical site for a village. Judge Josiali Harris
liad also a large tract of land around the Old Spring, in the same local-
ity, a portion of whieli he laid out into lots in 1830 and started the
100 lIlSTOliY OF LOHAIN COUNTY
A^ilhigo of Amherstville. Tlie three decades followintr brouglit a very
slow ;;ro\vth. 'IMieii eaiiie llie Cleveland & Toledo Railroad (now the
Lake Sliore & .Micliif,'aii SoiiUieni) and an increased demand for the
raiiioiis Aiidierst sandslone.
iMilo Harris honglit the interests in the townsite of his father's
heirs and made an addition to the village. In 1873 the Village of North
Andierst was chartered. The name of the village has changed several
times. First it was known as the Corners, then as Plato, next as
Andierstville, was incorporated as North Amherst, and, within recent
years, has dropped the North and become plain Amherst.
Since the year 1886 the Village of Amherst has been the center of
the large industries developed by the Cleveland Stone Company, but,
with the rapid e-xpansion of cement manufacture, several of the quarries
have been shut down and the enterprise, as a whole, has declined in
importance. A large number of men, however, still find employment in
the old line. A substantial plant for the making of special machine
parts, a cold-.storage concern, two good banks and a number of large
stores, with a handsome town hall, well paved and lighted streets and
oilier outward signs, demonstrate the standing of Amherst as tlie second
or third village in the county after Obei'lin. Wellington and Amhersl
claim about the same population. Andierst has a population of about
2,200, ])erhaps half of that credited to the beautiful college village of
Russia Township.
Townships Settled During the War
Sheffield, Pittsfield and Avon townships, as they are known today,
received their first accession of pioneers during the war period of
1812-15. Avon, however, seems to have been the most fortunate in
providing homes for a number of settlers who proved to be permanent
in their character.
Pierrepont Edwards Draws Avon Township
In 1807 Pierrepont Edwards, the famous Revolutionary soldier,
congressman and judge, of Connecticut, drew town No. 7, range 16
(Avon), together willi three of the Bass islands in Lake Erie west oi'
North Sandusky, aiuiexcd to the town for i)ui'pose of ef|ualization. In
1812 Noah Davis settled on the lake slioi'c, erected a log house, I'cinained
bid a short lime and left, never to leliirn.
inSTOItY OK J.OlfAlN COUNTY 101
Tiiio Caiioon Family
III 1K14, Wilbur (Jiiliooii, Tj(;wi.s Austin iiiid Xicliolas Yniiii",' iiiatic
tlu! first pcrinancnt scttleiiiont of tlio town, and a eoiitury afterward,
on the 10th of September, their deseendants celebrated the event. On
that occasion, Horace J. Gaboon, grandson of AVillinr and tlien in liis
seventy-eighth year, who had l)een appointed historian, read an inter-
esting paper, from wliich lilieral extracts are taken clsewliere. Asich;
from the interest which attaches to tlic i)crsoiiali1y of Wilbur Cahoon
as one of the first three settlers of Avon Township, he was the lirst
justice of the peace elected for the jurisdiction now divided among the
townships of Avon, Sheffield and Dover (the last named now a part
of Cuyahoga County). He made his good influence felt in many ways,
although his death occurred as early as 1826. The widow died in 1855.
Of their eight children, Leonard was the only om; to be born in Avon
Tow-nship, and he was its first native white cliild. All the other chil-
dren were born in Herkimer County, New York. The Cahoon family
has long ))een identified with township and county matters, Horace J.,
before mentioned, serving for nearly ten years as recorder.
Avon Township Created
On the 27th of October, 1818, the Town of Avon, together with the
annexations hereinbefore stated, was set off from Dover, and organized
in a separate township by the name of Troy, by the commissioners of
Cuyahoga County. It will l)e remembered that, at tliis date, the river
from the point where it passes into Slieffield north to the lake was the
boundary line between Huron and Cuyahoga counties. A special elec-
tion was ordered for township officers, to be held Noveml)er 1), 1818.
Elah Pai'k, John- Williams and Lodovick ]\Ioon were ehicted trustees;
Larkin Williams, township clerk; Abraham ]\roon, ti-easurer. In June,
1819, Jabez Burrell, living in the Sheffield district, and William Cahoon
were elected justices of the peace.
l^revious to 1818 the inhabitants called the town Xeuina, notwith-
standing it was a part of Dover. In I)eceml)er, 1824, upon petition of
forty citizens, the name of the town was changed from Troy to Avon, l)y
1ii(! commissioners of Lorain County. In 1818, the first schoolliouse
was built, near the center of the town, anil in the fall of that year
Larkin A. Williams opened it to the youth of the few -settlers of the
town.
102 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
PioNiOKu Familiks Crowd Into SiiicI'M'^iicld
Sporadically — if the (.'Xprcssioii may he applictl 1o huiiiari hcings
and tlic'ir coming — the pioneers of Shei'field Township extended tiieir
opei'ations over a period of a dozen years hefore it was organized under
its present name and with its present hounds. William Ilart, of Say-
l)rook, Ashtahula County, drew it originally. Previous to his disposi-
tion of the land, ahout 1812, he agreed to give Timothy AVallace his
choice of lots, if he would settle and occupy the same. Wallace accepted
the otfer, entered and improved a few acres on the Rohbins Burrell
farm, and finally abandoned it. In January, 1815, Hart conveyed the
township to Capt. John Day and Cai)t. Jabez Burrell, of Berksliire
County, ^Massachusetts. Obediah Deland, Joshua Smith, Josepji Fitch,
Solomon Fitch, Isaac Burrell and Henry Austin became joint owners
with Day and Burrell. In June of tiiat year Jabez Burrell and Isaac,
Captain Day and Joshua Smith came west and made selections. In the
following November, Smith and son reached tlie selected ground and
l)eeame fixed settlers. They were soon joiiu'd liy Samuel B. Fitch and
Asher Chapman, who struck hands with them, built a small shanty and
occu|)ied it dni'ing the winter of 1815-16.
Freeman Richmond and family took up their aboile on Lot 2. This
was the first settlement of the town by a family. In April following,
Henry Root, wife and six children, two boys and four girls, arrived from
Sheftield, Ma.ssachusetts, and took shelter in Smith's shanty until the
log house was thrown up that was to constitute their hundjle habitation
for the immediate future.
William II. Root was the youngest of the two boys. Next and soon
came Oliver IMoon, IMilton Garfield, John B. Oarfield, A. R. Dimmick,
William Richmond and Willis I^orter. In July and August there came
the families of John Day and Jabez Burrell, the first arriving in July,
and consisting of twelve persons, and the lattej; consisting of ten.
William, the oldest son of John Day, at a later day becaine one of the
associate judges of the county. Captain Smith, in the fall, returned
to l\lassachusetts, and brought on his family in Rlarcli of 1817. There
soon followed the IMoores, Stevens, Ilecocks, James, Arnold and Isaac
Burrell. There is no township in the county, unless it be Crafton, and
possibly Brownhelm and La Grange, tliat seems to have filled up as
rapidly as Siicftichi, in the lii'sl years of its settlement.
SiiKFKii';i,i), I'^insT TovvNsiiii' Aktick County Orc. anizatiox
When Wallace commeiujed tlu^ imi)i'Ovement of his land in 1812, the
area now included in Sheriield Townshij) was, terriloi'ially, a pai't of
HISTORY OF l.OUAIN' OOHNTY 103
Huron County, but it was attaclied to Cuyahoga County for judit-ial
antl otlier i)uri)Oses, and so rciiiaiiu'd until 1815, when Huron County
was i'ully ori^ani/.cd and assumed control of its own all'airs. Originally,
Dover Township emhraecd Avon, and all of Shei'lield and HIack Jtiver
townships east of the river. At a later day all of the teri'itory men-
tioned constituted the Township of Troy, also in Cuyahoga County.
Froni 1815 to 1824 all of Sheffield west of lilack River was attached
to the TownsJiip of Black River, as it existed before its territory was
reduced to its present limits. That part of Sheffield was then in Huron
County. On the first Monday of June, 1824, a petition was presented
to the commissioners of Lorain Count}^ wliich had just been organized,
praying for a township organization which should embrace its present
area — all of Black River Township east of the stream by that name,
and so much of No. 6, range 17 (Elyria), as was set off to Enoch
Perkins in the partition of that township. The petition was granted
and Sheffield was the first township incorporated after the organization
of Lorain County.
A special election for townshi[) officers occurred July 10, 1824, and
resulted in the choice of the following officers: John Day, Isaac Burrell
and A. R. Dimmick, trustees; Nathan Stevens, clerk; JMilton Garfield,
treasurer. Jabez Burrell had l)een elected justice of the peace in 181!),
while the town was a part of Troy ; was re-elected in 1822, and was still
in office at the date of township organization.
PiTTSFiELD Township Drawn
In the draft at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1807, what is now known
as I'ittstield Township was drawn l)y Ebenezer Devotion, William Per-
kins and eight others. The iirst white inhabitants were a man by the
name of Barker and his two sons. The father cleared a small tract on
the nortlieast corner of Lot '.)6 and tliei'e built a log cabin, but early
in 1818 he ai)andoneil it for military service and left thx' house and the
clearing to his sons. They, al.so, remained for but a short period, and
proliably were drawn into the ranks.
First Perm.vnent Settlers
Tiicn came a hiatus of a dozen years, bi-okeii, in 181!), by the survey
of the township into lots on the i)ai't of miw proprietors. Milton Whilney
was one oj' the lai'gest owners of that jx-i-iod. In 1820 lu; caiiie from the
iOast, made an examinalion of the hnid, and entered iuto an ai-range-
menl with Thomas and JelVrey Waite, sons of 'JMiomas Waite, then of
104 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Russia, by which they were to settle in town No. 4, range 18, upon his
giving- them fifty acres of land eacli. Tiiis he did, and in the spring
of 1821 the two Waites moved into the town, and took up their resi-
dence tiiere. They were the first j)erjuanent settlers in Pitlslield.
Immediately following the settlement of the Waites, they were
joined by Henry and Chauncey Remington, upon a gift of 100 acres''of
land to eacli of them by Whitney. The next settler was a minister by
Ihc name of Sniitli. Mr. Norton soon thereafter moved into the town,
lie built the first frame barn erected therein. The town filled up quite
slowly, so much so that there was Init one frame liouse in the town as
late as 1834.
Township Organized
The town was early annexed to AVellington for township purposes,
and remained so annexed until December, 1831, when, on the petition of
the inhabitants, it was detached and incorporated into a township by
the name of Pittsfield. JMany of its largest land-owners resided in the
^Massachusetts town of that name. In April, 1832, the selection of
towiisliip ofiicers completed its organization as a sei)arate civil body.
Village of Elyuia Fouxdkd
J]lyria Township was settled soon after the cessation of the War of
3812. That conflict interrupted settlement in Lorain County, as in
every other portion of the Western Reserve. The first settlement of the
township was coincident witli the founding of the Village of Elyria. It
was not until 181G that the nucleus of the settlement was formed by
the arrival of a ^h*. Beach, who located with his family in the western
portion of what is now the townsite. The place cannot be said to have
been founded, however, until the coming of Heman Ely from West
Springfield, Massachusetts. He had purchased of the Connecticut Land
('omi)any about 12,000 acres of land lying around tiie falls of the Black
River, and in March, 1817, arrived to take possession of his purchase
and prepare for its improvement. Building a dam and erecting a grist
and saw mill on the east branch of the river, he set about energetically
to lay out the village, which, in his honor, assumed the name of Elyria.
It should be stated that the first persons to arrive on the scene of
ihe Vj]y improvemeiils were Ilire(! men whom Ihe .liidge had sent ahead
ill .laiiiuiry, 1817. Tliey wen! U'oderick Ashley, hldwiii Uiisii and .lames
rortcr. Tlu'y walked Ihi' entire dislance from Massachusells to the
Western Reserve, eai'rying axes on their siioulders. When Mr. I'lly
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUiNTY 105
arrived in ^lareli tbey had made quite a clearing in the forest for the
l)uilding of the town. James Porter, tlie Irishman of tlie party, remained
in Elyria, acquired property, })uilt liouscs and died there; his associates,
liowever, returned 1o their homes in New England.
The Ely Home
The Village of Elyria was soon laid out and some time in the succeed-
ing year, 1818, Mv. Ely moved into his resilience, which he occupied for
years afterward — the first frame house erected in tlie village. That
residence has heen described as a buiding 45 by 40 feet, two stories,
with cellar under the main part; kitchen in the rear; fireplace in every
room, and brick oven in the kitchen. No stoves were known at tiiat
time. The siding of the house was made from a single whitewood tree
cut on the place near a bend in the road. A large barn was built at the
same time. Invitations were sent to Ridgeville, and both frames were
raised the same day. |
In the fall of 1818 I\Ir. Ely returned to his home in West Springfield,
being a passenger on Walk-on-the-AVatcr, the first steamboat which ever
])licd Lake Erie to Buffalo. On October lOtli he married IMiss Celia
J^elden, who returned witli him to tlie new Village of Elyria. As tiie
Ely home was not then completed, for some time the young couple
occupied a log house. Mrs. Ely was a woman of lovable disposition, and
it was to the deep grief of her many friends tiiat she did not long
enjoy the home which she helped to make. She died in 1827, leaving
two sons, Ileman and Albert.
The Famous Beebe Tavekn
Of the party who accompanied Judge Ely to the site of Elyria, in
February, 1817^ was Artemas Beebe, an expert carpenter and builder.
The second house to arise on the village site, after ]\Ir. p]ly's residence,
was built by I\Ir. Bcelie on the first lot purchased of the proprietor and
opposite wliat afterward became known as the Ely homestead. It was
a large two-story frame building, with an ell, and was used for many
years as tavern and a stage office. In the early times Beebe 's Tavern
was the acknowledged center of social life for the entire Village of
Elyria, as it was the general stopping place for travelers seeking west-
ern homes, and for lawyers and judges, as well as the lounging place
of the villagers themselves. The tavern was long what 'may be called
the general "news excliang(i," and, in a way, became tiie i)olitical head-
(|uarte?\s of the county.
lU navo A-yfM 1
il iiO tfJO
lOG , HISTORY OF LOUAIN COUNTY
The First Beebe Home
During the first yi-ar of business Air. Heehe had a i)artiier in his
tavern venture, but from 1819 to ]8;f5 actively conducted it himself. lu
.1820 lie returned to his home in West Si)i'ingfield, Massachusetts, also
Judge Ely's old home, where he married an old acquaintance. Miss
Pamelia ]\Iorgan, of that place. One of their daughtei*s (the late
J\l]-s. Mary Beebe Ilall), who afterward became known in the commu-
nity as a woman of literary ability and social distinction, not long
before her death issued an interesting booklet entitled "Reminiscences
of Elyria," wherein she describes the journey of the young couple
to their Elyria home, as well as the appearance of the primitive house,
in which they counueneed their married life.
"On October 4, 1820," she says, "Air. Heebe was uuirried to
Pamelia Alorgan, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, and started for
their western home with a span of hoi-ses, and covered wagon filled with
all possible articles required for housekeeping (necessities largely) —
a big brass kettle to use over the fire for all domestic purposes; brass
andirons, candlesticks, warming pan to heat the beds; foot stove to use
in riding, or sitting in cold rooms; bed linen and wartirol)e.
The BiiiDAh Tini'
"For four long weeks this young couple journeyed on through mud
and various mishaps of overturned wagon and contents, and landed in
Elyria to begin their home-making in a large and unplastered house.
Tiiey were welcomed by Captain Cooley and family, who had occupied
the house after it was finished, up to Air. Beel)e's home-coming with
his wife. This home contained large fireplaces in all the living rooms
and a larger one in tiie kitchen, with oven and crane; a big stone hearth
and plent}' of wood to burn, and great back logs for foundations, for
fires were always buried at night, as uuitches were not known.
/fiiE Old-Time Fujeplace
"The arrangement of this home was typical of many others of the
early times, with fireplaces and ovens. Occasionally, the ovens were
biiill outside under a slu'il, with a ])ig stump used foi' foundation. This
big liirplacc deserves a i)assiug notice, and I always feel sorry for
ix'ople who nevei" have known how much pleasure is associated with it.
A large iron Ijake kettle, with a lid, would be utilized at times in the
<'()rnei' ol' the big hearth. What a delight for a child to sit and wateh
HISTOriY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 107
the process! With live coals from the fireplace under and over, biscuits,
gingerhread and johiiny-eake were done to a turn. Once a week the
oven would he lieated and filh;d with bread, pies and cake. What
antici[)ations of coining good things! Heefstcak on gridiron in i'ront
of the lire, with live coals to l)roil it (nev(!r such steak) ; spare ribs or
turkey on a cord in front of the fire, turned and basted until fit for a
king! IIow pretty a row of apples looked roasting! How nice corn
popped, and what fun to crack liickory inits on tlie stone heartli (for
it ilid not crack it), and ea1en in the evenings! Baskctsful were gath-
ered and sjircad on the garret floor, making a winter's supply for family
and friends. Sweet cider, too. Stomachs were not recognized; one
never lieard of appendicitis. There were rhubarb and castor oil in the
house, and peppermint iu the lot, if one needed remedies in emergencies.
L.vsT Beeise House, Pride of the Town
"In 1835, having ])uilt a house on the corner of Broad street and
East avenue, I\Ir. Beebe rented the tavern to George Prior, brother-in-
law of J\Ir. Ely, and moved to this home, which has been the home-
stead and is still occupied by the youngest daughter. In 18-17 Mv.
Beebe completed the Beebe House, at the corner of Park and I\Iain
streets. At the time of its building, no town the size of Elyria could
boast of such a fine, substantial hotel; an ornament to the town and a
creilit to tlie builder, who wished to fui'iiish suitalile acconunodations
for the increasing population of town and country. Jt was l)uilt and
kept as a temperance house, as long as o\vned by the family, (.iather-
ings from town and country were entertaineil in the large parlors and
dining room; also sleigh rides and ban(iuets. The fourtii floor was the
Odd Fellows' Lodge for years. The dancing ball for private parties
made this hotel the center of social life."
The two families — the P]lys and the Beebes — have the joint honor
of being file central forces around which the infant Village of Elyria
marshaled its forces and became fairly established as a growing com-
munity.
Altliough the village and the county seat early absorbed many of
Die activities and most forceful characters of the township, the history
of the latter, as a whole, is given, accoi'ding to the plan of this ciiapter.
The fads arc taken fi-om -Iiidgc Uoynton's histoiy.
I']r,YiiiA TowNsiiU' I'AicrrnoNEi) m IHIG
Town Xo. (), in i-ange 17 (Klyi'ia), at the draft in April, 1807, was
drawn by .lusliii MIy, ivogcr Ncwbui'y, -ionallifin Brace, Flijaii White,
108 ITISTOUY 01^^ LORAIN COUNTY
Eiiocli Perkins, a coiiipan}' composed of T{o<fer Newbury and olliers,
.]olui II. Buell and Jonathan Dwij^ht. Tliey also drew tract :i, in the
nineteenth range, annexed to the town to cfiualize it. These lands were
divided between the owners, at the September term of the Supreme
Court, in Portage County, in 1816. The south part of the town, about
one-third of the whole, was set off to Justin Ely; the central part to
Elijah White; 2,100 acres north of White's to Jonathan Brace; and
the remainder to Perkins and Newbury. White conveyed to Justin
Ely, and Justin Ely to his son, Ileiiian Ely, who purchased the Praee
tract, making him the owner of 12,500 acres, in a solid body.
Pioneer Villagers
In 1816 Ileman Ely left his home in West Springfield, :\lassachu-
setts, to visit the lands of his father, soon to become his, in the above
numbered town. In due time he arrived, and took up his abode at the
hotel of Capt. IMoses Eldred, in Ridgeville, about two miles east of the
river. During the season he engaged Jedediah Ilubbell and a I\Ir. Shep-
ard, of Newburgh, to erect a sawmill and gristmill on the east branch
of the river, near the foot of the present Broad Street, and in the fall
of that year returned to Massachusetts. The erections contracted for
were made during the winter of 1816-17. As stated, in January, Rode-
rick Ashley, Edwin Bush and James Porter arrived from West Spring-
field, with axes on their shoulders, prepared to grapple with the forest
along the Black' River. In February, 1817, Mr. Ely, Artemus Beebe,
Ebenezer Lane, Luther Lane, Miss Ann Snow, and a colored boy called
Ned, left Massachusetts for Ohio, and in :\Iarch joined the company that
came on in the winter. Ebenezer Lane, afterward, and for niauy years,
occupied with much distinction a place upon the bench of the Supreme
Court of the state.
The party, on their arrival, took up their abode in a log house, built
the previous year by ]\Ir. Ely, and the first structure of any kind erected
in the town. Previous, however, to its occupancy, and in November,
1810, a family by the name of Beach had located in the western part
of the town. George Douglas and Gersham Danks arrived in April,
1817. Pestus Cooley arrived from ^lassachusetts, ]May 28th, having
made the entire distance on foot, and on the next day look charge of
the mills on the river. There were now at least eleven i)ersoiis on i\w.
townsite, and work was at once commenced in earnest.
IIISTOKY OF LOliAIN COUNTY 109
"Raisings"
'I'lic first Irainc building was tlic one occupied duriii;^ the first season
for a joiner siioj) and tliereai'ter, for many years, for a store. Edmund
West opeiKHl the first store in 1818. Tlie second frame building was
for tlie residence of Mr. Ely. At the raising, as was customary in those
times, men from many miles away were present, to i)ut tlieir shoulders
to tile bent, and assist their neighbor in providing a habitation. All
were considered neighbors within a distance of twenty miles. While
buildings were being erected the forest was being felled.
Clark Eldred, then twenty yefirs of age, in 1816, upon ]\Ir. Ely's
first visit here, entered into a contract with him for the purchase of
lot No. 16, two and a half miles west of the river; and during the
winter of 1816-17 commenced to clear the ground upon which he spent
nearly a life. This was the first chopping in the neighboriiood.
J Township and Village Surveyed
In 1817 the survey of the township and village was commenced by
Joshua Ilensliaw, a skillful surveyor, and continued until completed. In
the fall of 1817 Ileman Ely and the two Lanes returned to Massachusetts,
and spent the most of the winter. In October, 1818, IMr. Ely again
visited the East; was made happy while there by his marriage to Miss
Celia Belden, returned to Elyria, and directed renewed energies to the
development of the town.
The first schoolhouse was built in 1819, of logs, just east of the
river; and for years it served the double purpose of a schoolhouse and
a church. Not far distant, and in the same year, Cliester Wright
erected a distillery, one of the most flourishing institutions of pioneer
times. The first village lot sold was to Artemus Beebe and George
Douglas, carpenters and builders. The consideration paid was $32.
As noted, the Beebe Tavern was erected thereon. INIaj. Calvin Iloadley,
of Columbia, in the same year, as one of Mr. Ely's employes, built a
Ijridge over the east branch of the Black River.
PosTOFKiCE Established
In May,. 1818, a postoffice was estalilished under tlie name of Elyria,
and on the 2;]d of tiie month i\lr. Ely was appointed i)ostmaster, and
continued in the office until April, ^H'^'.], when he was succeeded by
.lohii S. Matteson.
110 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
Township EinxTEo
On tlie 2()tli of OcIoIkt, IHl!), tlu; Towiisliip ol" Klyriu was (iiTctcMl.
licsidcs its i)i't;s(;nt tcri-ilory, it tlicii ciuhraLcd wliat is now Uu; Townsliij)
of Carlisle, which bcL-anie an independent orf^ani/.ation in Jnne, 1822,
after which Elyria Township retained its sepai-ate eivil administration.
Elyria City op Today
Elyria is a busy and handsome city, and well worthy of its honor as
the eivil and ])olitii'al center of the eoniity. Sueh huildings as tiio
eourthouse, the Masonic Temple, tlu; Y. >M. (!. A., the liiyh school, the
Memorial Hospital and sovei-al of its chnrches, would ho creditahlc
to any city in the state, while the large soldiers' monument in the
courthouse square indicates its standing as a patriotic community.
Commencing with Judge Ely's mills, first erected on what is now
J\lain Street, and the establishment of the first considerable manu-
factory at Elyria by the Lorain Iron Comjjany iu 18:^2, Elyria has
developed her industrial life to a larger extent than most county seats.
That statement will become evident in the detailed account which is
elsewhere given, and four solid banks stand behind the local industry,
commerce and trade. Sucli general statements regarding IClyria are
made to fill out the bird's-eye view covering the jjrincijjal events in
file seftlemenf and composition of ].,orain County.
EaTIIKU AXn PlO.NMCKliS OF BliOWN 1 IICI.M
TIh! (irst settler of town No. (i, range liJ, lying along Lake Ei'ie and
then a part of Huron County, was Col. Henry Brown, from Stock-
bridge, ^Massachusetts. He was accompanied by Peter P. Pease, Charles
"Whittlesey, William Alverson and William Lincoln, who assisted Colo-
nel Brown iii building his house, as did Seth Alor.se and Rensselaer
Cooley. ]\Ior.se and Cooley returned to the East for the winter. Alver-
son, Lincoln, Pease and Whittlesey remained on the ground. In after
years iMr. Whittlesey became distinguished not only as a general in the
Civil war, but as an arclueologist and historian. He was the founder
of the Western Reserve Historical Society and its president for many
years. The Township of Brownhelm is named in honor of the leader
of the original colony, of wiiich ('olonel Whittlesey was a meml)er in tlie
period of his young manhood and obscui'ify. Petei- P. Pease was tin*
lirst settler of Oberlin.
On the 4th of .Ldy, 1817, the families of Levi Shepard, Sylvester
HISTORY OV LORAIN COUNTY Hi
Banmiii and Stephen James arrived in Brownlielm Towiiship, and after
celeln-atinj^ the J^'oiirth on the sliore, entered upon jjioneer life near the
lof^hoii.se of lirovvn. These W(M-e tlie lii'.st raitiilics tliul setth;d in the
town. During the same year the Tamilies of Solomoii WhiUlesey, Alva
('urtis, iieii.jamin Baeon and Elteiiezer Scott arrived. In 1818 many
otiier families were added, giving hope of a speedy filling up of the
town. They were those of Colonel Brown, (Jrandison Fairehild, Anson
('uoj)i'r, Klisiia I'eek, Ceorge Baeon, Alfreil Avery, Knos Cooley, Orrin
Sage, John Graham and others. There were other families that arrived
and settled in the south i)art of the town, suhsecpiently set otf to Hen-
rietta. Tliey will he named in connection with the mention of that
town. The first framed house in the town was huilt hy Benjamin
iiacon. The hrst brick house in the county was Ituilt by (Jrandison
Fairehild in the summer of 1819.
TowNSiup Ckil\T£d and Organized
From February, 1817, until October, 1818, the town was a part of
Black River. At the latter date, on the petition of the inhabitants to
the commissioners of Huron County, No. 6, in the nineteenth range,
together with the surplus lands adjoining west, and all lands lying west
of Beaver Creek, in No. 7, eighteenth range (Black River), was organ-
ized into a sejjarate township by the name of Brownhelm. Colonel
Brown had the honor to select the name. Township officers were chosen
at the spring election in 1811), held at the house of George Bacon. Cal-
vin Leonard, Levi Shepard and Alva Curtis were elected trustees ;
Anson Cooper, township clerk; AVilliam Alverson, trea.surer; Benjamin
Bacon and Levi Shepard, justices of the peace. This perfected the
township organization. That part of the present Town of Black River
lying west of Beaver Creek was, in June, 1829, by order of the commis-
sioners, detached from Brownhelm, and reannexed to Black River.
Settlement of Russia Township
The original proprietors of Russia Township were Titus Street and
Isaac ]\lills, the latter selling his interest to Samual Hughes before set-
thnnent actually commenced. In 1817, Thomas Waite moved his family
fi-om Ontario C!ounty, New York, and resided in Amherst until th(!
spi'ing of 1818, when he moved into Russia Township, taking up a pi(!C(^
of land in its noi'tliwest corner, north of the road leading fi'nin AVebli's
Cornel's 1() Henrietta. Tliere, a few years aflerwai'd, he died, llie (ii'st
settler in Hie townsiiip.
bi(fi muiithH
112 lU.STOKY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
111 1820 the west road began to be opened, and Daniel Rathburne
and Walter and Jonathan Jiuek, with their families, settled in the town
iu that year. Jn 1821, the I'aiiiilies ot John i\leCauh;y and Lyruan
Wakely were added. Tliey were followed in 1822 by Samuel T. Wight-
man and Je.sse Smith, witll their families. In 1823, Jolm Maynes joined
the settlement, and in 1824, Aleeker, George and Jonathan Disbro,
Daniel Axtell, Abraham Wellman, Israel Cash, Richard Rice, James R.
Abbott, and Henry and John Thurston took up their abode there. Some
of these may have moved in, in 1823. They were soon followed by Elias
Peabody, Samuel K. Alellen, Lewis D. Boynton, El)er Newton, Joseph
Carpenter and otliers. Whether the first schoolhouse was built just
north of Eber Newton's, or near the residence of Alonzo Wright, is in
dispute. There was one at each place at an early day.
Founding of Oberlin
Until 1833 the southern part of tlie township was unbroken ground
and largely dense forest. In the spring of that year, Peter P. Pease,
one of the Brownhelm pioneers and the advance guard of the Oberlin
colony, erected his log cabin opposite where the Park Hotel now stands
and on college ground.
Messrs. Street and Hughes, proprietors of the town, had donated
upwards of 500 acres of land to the contemplated Oberlin Collegiate
Institute, and had sold to its friends 5,000 acres more at .1<1.50 per acre.
The resale of that tract at $2.50 an acre provided the fund that founded
the college, and thus was firmly established the most important move-
ment and institution which had originated within the bounds of Lorain
County.
The annual report of the institute for 1834, the second year of its
life, has the following: "One and a half years ago, its site was unin-
habited and surrounded by a forest three miles square, which has since
been taken by intelligent and pious families, which have formed a-
settlement called Oberlin Colony that will soon prol)ably over.spread the
entire tract. This site was chosen because it was supposed to be healthy,
eouhl be readily api)roaclied by western lakes and canals, and yet was
suffieiently remote from the vices and temptations of large towns, and
because extensive and fertile lands could here be ol)taiiied for the manual
lal)or (U'liartinent of this Institute and for tlu; settlement of a sustain-
ing colony on better terms than elsewhere. Its grand olgect is the
difl'u.sion of useful science, sound moi-ality and true I'cligion, among the
growing nudtitudes of the Mississippi valley. One of its ol)jeets was
the elevalion of female character, and included witliin its genei-al design
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 113
was tlio t'ducatioM of tlio coiiiiiioii people with tlie Iiij^lier classes in such
iiiaiiiier as suits the nature of repuhlieau institutions."
Russia Tuwnsuu' Okuanizkd
When Hlaek River was organized in February, 1817, by the com-
missioners of Huron County, tiie lands adjoining the present township
of Amherst, on the south, were aiuie.xed to enable the itduibitants to
enjoy township privileges. The inhabitants of Russia remained so
anne.xed, until June, 1825, at which time, on petition of many of her
citizens,, it was detached from Black River l)y tlie commissioners of
Lorain County and incorporated into a separate township. The elec-
tion of township officers was had at a log schoolhouse on the hill near
Wright's in the summer of 1825, it being a special election ordered for
the purpose of perfecting the township organization. At this election,
George Disbro, Israel Cash, and Walter Buck, were elected trustees ;
Richard Rice, clerk ; and Daniel Axtell, justice of tlie peace.
First Yel\.r of Pioneeuing in Grakton
The pioneer settlers of what is now Grafton Township also came
into that part of the county after the War of 1812 had spent its force
and it seemed safe to locate in the region of the great lakes. The town-
ship was then attached to IMedina County. Settlement commenced in
1816. In May of that year, from fifteen to eighteen men left Berk-
shire County, Ma.ssachusetts, and journeyed hither for the purpose of
selecting and locating lands for which they either had exchanged or
were to exchange, lands owned by them in that state. Among these
men were Jonathan Rawsoii, John and George Hibley, Seth C. and
Thomas Ingersoll, sons of I\Iajor William Ingersoll and brothers of Mrs.
Harriet Nesbit. The selection was made and all returned East, except
the Sibleys, and the men employed by Rawsou to remain and work at
clearing the forest.
In the fall of that year, IMaj. William Ingersoll moved his family
into the town, arriving on November 4th. He settled just east of
Kingsley's Corners, on land selected by his sons in the spring. The
journey was made with a span of horses, and three yoke of oxen. A
small shanty bad been built on tiie land of the Sil)lcys, and upon their
invitation il was occupied by the fainily of Major Ingersoll foi- about
two weeks, during which time In- and Ihe boys erccled a log house upon
land of his own.
In l'\'luuary, 1SI7, the family of William Critlemlcii arrived. This
was familv No. 2.
114 " HISTORY OK I.OKAIN COUNTY
Jii tlie iiioiitli of :\lar(;li following, ciimc the families of the Rawsons,
]iou{,'hto)is, Siljleys and Nesl)it.s; and a little later in the same season the
j'amili<'s of (Jai)t. William Twrn(!r, Aaron Root, and I'.ildad lieidin ;
and Jiot loiif,^ al'Uir tlu; family of David Ashley. An attack was at onee
made upon the thick forest, and within twelve months from the arrival
of Major Ingersoll, twelve log houses were erected, that gave shelter to
jiinety-seven persons. During the following year, additions were made
l)y the arrival of many other families.
Township Incorporated
Medina County was not civilly organized until January, 1818, and
on the 25th of the following July its connnissioners incorporated the
Township of Grafton. At the first election held in August, 1818,
Eliphalet Jones, William Ingersoll and William Ji. Crittenden were
elected trustees; AVilliam Bishop, clerk; Reuben Ingersoll, trea.surer;
David Ashley, appraiser of property; Grindel Rawson and Seth C.
Ingersoll, fence viewers. Previous to the organization of the township,
it had been attached to Liverpool for judicial purposes, and in April,
1818, Reuben Ingersoll had been elected justice of the peace at the
election held in that town.
The first school was taught by Miss I\Iary Sibley in 1818, in the
log house built near the residence of Cajit. William Turner. During
the same year a churcii was organized l)y Rev. T. Brooks.
Village of Grafton
Grafton Village, which is eight miles southeast of Elyria, is a place
of about 1,000 people, divided by the line between Grafton and Eaton
townships, the bulk of the commuinty lying in the former. Some years
ago it was an important center of the stone industry, l)ut the growth of
the cement business, and the use of artificial material in the construc-
tion of bridges and building, so seriously interfered with the quarry-
ing of stone that only one live quarry remains at that place. That
is a branch of tlie Cleveland Stone Company operating under the name
of the Grafton Stone Company, and its output consists chiefly of grind-
stones. The only other considerable business concern of the place is the
(Jrai'ton Jjumber and Consti'uction (.'ompany. The village corporation
(laics from 1S82.
Wkllin(;ton',s Oruiinal Owni;ks an'd Skttlkrs
Allliough the Duke of Wellington was still a hero of the day when
Ihc pioncci- scillcrs cnnic inlo Wclliii^ldii T(»\vnslii|i, am! even when il
IIIHTOKY OF LOHAIN COUNTY 115
was organized ])olitically, tlio origin of tlie iiaino is directly traced
to one William Welling, a New Yorker, who was of tlie original hand
of eiiiigrants. Settlement commenced in ]H\H and lln; township was
oi'^'anizcd three yeai's latei-.
lOjiiiraim Jioot anil .James Jioss were the original owners, and they
sold the town to Frederick Ilaudin, James Adams, Francis llerrick and
Ilai-mon Kingshnry, of Berksiiire County, JMassachusetts ; two of these,
Adams and Kingshury, never hccame residents of the town. In the
spring of 1818, the settlement of the town was commenced. Epiiraim A.
Wilcox, John Clifford, Charles Sweet and Joseph Wilson, of Berkshire
County, ^Massachusetts, and AVilliani AVelling, of Montgomery County,
New York, reached Grafton in Fehruary of that year, and in ^March
following cut their path through to Wellington. They maile an open-
ing to the sunlight at the center of the town, and at once liuilt a log
cahin for habitation. They carried a few blankets and bed ticks, filling
the ticks with dry leaves. The bedstead was constructed by driving
four ci-otched stakes in the ground, laying poles fi-om stake to stake,
and placing white oak shakes from pole to pole. Upon this structure
they placed their leafy bed, and upon tliis bed their weary limbs. Having
provided a ilwelliug they at once conunenceil to clear the forest. As
often as once a week two of the luimber went to (irafton, a distance of
tell miles, to get their bread baked. The number and ferocity of wild
animals made it dangerou.s for one to go alone. There being two, eaeii
coiislituled a body guard for the other.
Arrival of Fhjst Family
('litford returned to jMassaeliusetts in the following ]\Iay. On July
4t]i, of the same year, Frederick Hamlin arrived, accompanied by the
wife of AVilcox, her son Theodore, Caroline Wilcox, and Dr. I). J. Johns.
l>efore their arrival, AVilcox had erected a log house on land selected
by him northwest of the center, into which he at once took his family.
This was the first family that made its advent into the town. Othei's
were soon added, among wiiom were tho.se of John llowak, Alaiisoii
Tlowak, AVhitman De W^olf, P.enjamin Wadsworth, Silas Hailey, Amos
Adams, Judson AVadsworth, James Wilson and Josiaii Bradley.
In the spring of 1820, the lii'st sciioolhoiise was opened in the house
of .{(jjin Clifford by ('aroline Wilcox.
l''riMlcii(k Hamlin was one of the associate judges in the county,
appointed in 1824, upon its organizalion. lie was succeeded in that
office by his fellow townsman, Dr. D. J. Jolins.
116 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
TUWNSHU' OUOANIZATION
Tlio townsliip was orgnuy^d in April, 1821. it was then a i)art of
Mediiiu County. Ilainliu was elected a trustee; Wilcox a justice of the
peace, aud D. J. Johns township clerk. Colonel Ilerrick had been a
meniber of the Massachusets Legislature while a resident of Massa-
chusetts. He did not remove here until 1837.
Wellington Village
Wellington, as a village, came into historic prominence in the late
'50s because of the rescue of a fugitive slave from the hand of a United
States marshal and two Kentuckians on his way to his southern owners.
In later years it became one of the leading cheese centers of the country,
and has developed into a clean, substantial and progressive village of
some 2,200 people. It has two banks, a number of manufactories, a
handsome town hall, modern water works and electric light facilities, a
well-organized school system and churches to meet the requirements of
all its residents.
The settlement at Wellingt;)n, or the Center, dates from the first
influx of residents as early as 1818-19, but its standing as a leading
center of trade and higher activities 1)egins with the construction of the
Cleveland, Colunilius and Cincinnati Railroad, chiefly through the per-
sistency and ability of its Dr. D. Z. Johns, in 184!)-r)(). That line gave
Wellington control of much of the southeastern part of the county, and
the pcniianent growth of the village, which was incorporated in 1855,
was assured from that time and l)y that event.
Township of Huntington
In February, 1818, about the time that IMessrs. Hamlin, Wilcox and
Clifford left Berkshire County, Massachusetts, to establish homes in
AVellington Township, Joseph Sage, John Laborie and others departed
from Huntington, Connecticut, for the town immediately to the south.
It was then simply No. 2, range 18, but in 1822 was incorporated as
Huntington, in honor of the Connecticut Village.
TiiK LAiioiiiKs AN'i) ()tiii;i{, I^'amu.iks
Joiin liuboric and wil'e (tlie latlei' being llie daughter of .Mr. Sage)
weiH' llh! parents of the lirsl rainily that took up its settlement in the
(own. They li'j'l in February, IHJH, aceoiupanietl by four boys and ;i
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 117
gii-1. Tlu'y made tlio route; I'roiii Coiiiiueticnt to Ihulsoii, tlieu in Port-
ai^e county, in four weeiis, travolinj,' tlie whole distance in a sleigh. At
Stow tlicy hired an ox team to take thcin tiirou^h, and after six days
of severe journey, they reached town No. 1 (yidlivan)., then liaving
hut four families — settlers of the previous year — within its boi'ders.
On the next day, they moved forward and took ])ossession of a log hou.se
tiiat had been built by Henry Chase. Tliere was an opening for a door,
but nothing to till or close it; no window nor cliimney. The cracks, or
openings between the walls, had not been chinked. They had one neigh-
bor. He had just preceded them in settlement, and was from Eastou,
New York. Laborie at once erected a log house, and moved into it,
and there lived for some three weeks, without a window, floor or chim-
ney. The bedsteads were made of puncheons, and the beds were ticks
filled with leaves. The boys chopped some poles, placed them on the
joists above, making a chamber and took up their lodging in the loft.
Sage went South, bought some hogs, drove them home, butchered them
and salted them down in a trough. The trough cracked, the brine ran
out, the salt lost its savor and away went the pork. ,
^Irs. Laborie was not, however, to remain long without female
friends from her Eastern home. On the 20th of June, of the same
year, the family of Jsaae Sage arrived. In the afternoon of tiie day of
their arrival, liiey were feasted on a pot-i)ie, made of the meat of a
young bear.
Wooden Bowl Factory
Early in fall, there came the families of Oliver Rising and Daniel
Tillotson. Benjamin Rising came with Oliver. The first framed dwell-
ing was built by Reuel Lang.
Benjamin Rising was the first manufacturer of the town. J. B.
Lang thus describes his manufactory: "It was a latlie, operated by a
spring-i)ole, for turning wooden bowls. A bark rope, attached to a long
spring-pole, overhead, passing around the mandrel, which was of wood
and attached to a treadle below. The treading on this threw the block
around two or three times, and then the pole springing back threw
the block back, ready for another 'gouge.' "
Organization op the Township
In August, 1822, the commissioners of Medina County, to which
Huntington then belonged, incorporated the town by the name it now
bears. It took its name from Huntington, Connecticut, the former abid-
• aW
118 HISTORY OK T.ORAIX COUNTY
iiig place of flu! Ljihorics. Tho organization also ciiibracL'd tlic new
U'l'rilory now witliin llio lownsliip of liochoster. An election was iield
ii|t()n llic first Monday oi.' Scpti-iiihcr, ]H22. -Joscpli Sai^c, lli-nry K.
.l*'eiTi.s and Jienjainin Uanniiij^ were ehieted trnstees; Isaac Saj?e, town-
sliij) clerk; and David J"]. Ilickox, treasurer. Joseph h5age was elected
tile first juslice of the peace at a special election held soon after.
Penfield Township Rightly N.vmed
Penfield Township has an appropriate name, as its first settler was
thus dcsig-nated and for several years after he located the majority of
its inhabitants were Penfields. liefore it was incorporated under that
name it was designated by the surveyors as township No. S, range 17.
By the draft it became the proi)erty of Caleb Atwater, who gave it to
his six daughters, Lucy Day, Ruth Cook, Abigail Andrews, IMary Heebe,
Sarah I\Ierrick and the wife of Judge Cook.
The first exploration of the township b.y persons seeking western
lands, was in the fall of 181S, by Peter Penfield and Calvin Spencer,
then residents of Kastern New York. TJiey were assisted in their
examination of the township by James Ingersoll, of Grafton, after wliich
they returned to the East.
COJIING OF THE I'EXFIELpy
In 1819, Peter Penfield again came, and selected land, emjjloyed
Seth C. Ingersoll to erect a log house upon it, and returned home.
Ingersoll completed the dwelling in the fall of that year. In February
the next, Peter Penfield and Lothrop Penfield arrived and in connection
with Alanson, a son of Peter, already on the ground, and who remained
during the winter preceding and taught school in Sheffield, commenced
to open the forest four miles from the nearest inhabitant.
In the fall of 1820, or early winter, Truman Penfield arrived with
his family, the first that came, and moved into the log house built by
Ingersoll. In the following I\Iarch, the family of Peter Penfield, which
up to this time had remained ICast, arrived and joined in the occupancy
of the log cabin, until another could l)e erected.
l>\\Mn,iKs (^r (!.\LViN Si-knoiou and OriiKits
Calvin Spencei* came again in 1821, selected land, engaged i'eter
Penfield to build a house upon it, and returned to New York. In the
fall of 18U1, Samuel i\niipp came, examined tlii- land, made a selection
>^! r
inSTOKY OK LORAIX COUNTY 119
and rc'tui-ncd home, and ivniainod tlu'i-e until the fall of 1822, when
with liis family he took ui) his ahode in the infant setthuiient, npon the
lands so selected. (Jther families soon followed. Diivid I'. Merwin
arrived in 1824. Calvin Speiieei' moved his family into the liouse pre-
pared for him in the spring of the same year. The fanuly of Stephen
lOiapp arrived about the same time, and the family of Benjamin E.
Merwiu in 1825.
The township was organized at an eleetion in 1825, held at the
dwelling house of Truman Penfield, having been previously ordered
by the commissioners of ^Medina County, of which county the town then
formed a part. The officers elected were Samuel Kuapp, Samuel Root
and Peter Penfield, trustees ; Truman Penfield, clerk ; Lothro]) Penfield,
treasurer. In 1826 Ben.jamin E. INFerwin was elected justice of the
peace. Previous to its incorporation, the inhabitants had agreed iij^on
Richland as the name of the town, and petitioned the conniiissioners
for an order of incorporation by that name. But the conunissioners
ascertaining there wei'e other localities having the name of Richland,
rejected the application, and named it Penfield, in honor of the first
settler. Previous to the organization of the town, it had l)een annexed
to (irafton, and in connecMion with that town enjoyed townshi[) privi-
leges until it was set apart to act under independent organization.
C.VULISLE TUWNSUU'
As has been stated, Carlisle and Elyi-ia were organized together
for civil purposes, in October, 1819, under the name of Elyria and as a
township of Pluron County. Carlisle was detached and separately
organized in June 4, 1822, on petition of Obed Gibbs and others. Pre-
viously, a part of town 5 had acquired the name of Murraysville, but that
was not satisfactory to the inhabitants who resided any considerable
distance from IMurray's Ridge. Phineas Johnson, one of the first two
settlers, wished the township named Berlin, after his native Connecticut
town. So the citizens compromi.sed by naming the township neither
Miirraysville nor Berlin, but Carlisle.
Pioneer F-vrhlies Settle
The first settlement of the town was madi' in the spi'ing of 1819, ])y
Samuel Urooks, from IMiddletown, ('oiniectieid. lie was aeeompaiut'd
by riiineas ffohnson, his wife's fathei-, who assisted in selecting the spot
for their future home, -lohnson returned to Connecticut. A log house
was soon erected, and in it Samuel Brooks took ui> his abode. This
120
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
was oil the east hrauch of Black River, in tlie oast part of the town.
In September of that year Ilezekiah Brooks, a ])rother of Samuel and
Avhose wives were (hiuglitctrs of Pliineas Johnson; Capt. James Jirooks
and I'atriily, tofjether with the families of Johnson and Riley Smith,
left MiddletowQ, and after the usual tedious journey of about six weeks,
with ox teams, I'eached Elyria. Smith and family remained at Elyria
for a while, and then went into Carlisle. The families of the Brookses
and Jolmsons pushed forward to Carlisle, and moved in with Samuel,
and remained until other dwelling ])laces eould be provided.
At about the same time that this settlement was making in the east
part of the town another was springing up in the western part. The
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families of Jamison Murray, before then for some time residents of
Ridgeville, and Philo ]\Iurray, and Philo, Jr., had taken up their resi-
dence on the ridge, and Obed Gibbs and family, with Ransom and David,
had settled further south. Soon afterward, the families of Solomon
Sutliff, Chauncey Prindle, Bennett, Drakely, Ilurd and others were
added. Prindle .settled at the center of the town. Abel Farr and Abel
Farr, Jr., and John Baeon, were among the earliest residents of the
town.
JiUKillTON ToWN^SIlIP
Brighton township is a produet of tlie early '20s. Only a few set-
tlers had located previous to its civil organization in 182;i Its pioneer
settler was Abner Loveman, Jr., who located on tract 7 in 1820, and
IIISTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY 121
in tlie following year Joseph Kingsl)iu-y made liis home in tlie same
locality, ijike most other good New iOiiglaiuh'rs, tliey brought their
i'aiiiilies witli tliem.
Had tlie territory comprised by the township lines been surveyed
into a township, it would liave been town 3, range 19, and it was so
entered on tlie county records at the date of its incorporation. It was,
however, formed by the commissioners of ^ledina County, out of tract
7, a part of tract 6, and a part of tract 8.
Lemuel Storrs was the original owner of all of tract 8. He drew
it at the draft in connection with Lagrange, to which it was annexed
for equalization. Four thousand acres in tract 7, were annexed to Well-
ington, to ecpialize it, and were drawn by Ephraim, Root and James Ross,
in connection with that township, and tract 6 by Peter Brooks, John
Call, William Shaw, George Black, and Bennewel Cheney. Some of
these parties sold to, and others exchanged with Tuckerman Brothers,
Ilarman Kingsbury, Norton, Stocking, Deming, Hamlin and Alford.
Tuckerman Brothers sold to Levi Bliss, of ^Massachusetts.
The township was organized at the spring election of 3 823. Joseph
Kingsbury, Avory Hall, and Calvin Roice, were elected trustees; Leonard
11. Loveland, clerk; Alnier Loveland, treasurer; and Abner Loveland,
Jr., justice of the peace. There were twelve electors, just about the
numlK'r of persons required to fill the offices in those days. The town-
ship belonged to Lorain, as then formed, but, with other townships,
remained attached to Jledina County, until the organization of Lorain
was completed.
Lagrange Township
At the June session of tlie commissioners of Lorain County, town 4,
range 17, was attached to Carlisle for civil and judicial purposes, and
remained so attached until its separate organization, as Lagrange Town-
ship, in January, 1827. The first election for township officers was held
in April of that year at the residence of Fairchikl Hubbard. Eber AV.
Hubbard, afterward one of the associate judges of the Common Pleas
Court, was elected towoship clerk; James Disbrow, treasurer; Noah
Holcomb, Noah Kellogg and Fairchild Hulibard, trustees, and Eber W.
Iluliliard, justice of the peace.
Town 4, range 17, with 3,70() acres in tract 8, range 19, now in
Brigiilon ami Camden, was drawn by Henry Ciiampion and Lemuel
Storrs, Champion owning two-tliirds and Storrs one-third of the pur-
chase. Cham])ion conveyed his part of the town to liis son-in-law, Eiizur
Goodrich, wlio exchanged i)art of it with Nathan Clark, Roger Phelj)s.
122
IIISTOUY (JK LOi^AlN COdNTV
Noali Ilolcoiiilt iiiul James I'clloii, I'oi' lands owiird liy tliciii in JcnVi'Sou
(!()iin1y, New York, wlicrc llicy rornici-ly i-csidi'd. Tin- I hive last naini'd,
ifi lliL- i'all of l«2r), visited the {ground to form u .jiidKmenI of its iiiei-its
lor J'arnnn^' pni'poses, and I'eliirned lionie. (Joudrieli, also exeliaiiiJied
lands with David Koekwood, Asa Jfockwood, Fairehild Hubbard, Joseuh
Robbins, Sylvester ^Merriam and Levi Johnson.
On .\ovend)er 14, 1825, Nathan Clark uv.nU'. the first settlement of
the town. During the next season the families of Noah Iloleond), Syl-
vester .Merriam, James Disbrow and Joseph A. Graves arrived for perma-
nent settlement and a new abiding place. In the latter part of the same
year, Fairehild Hubbard .moved in from Brighton, where he had re-
l^^:^ife^:::%^^5^^^^
PlU.VKEH FlJAME lIoiISE IX LaGUAXGE ToWNSHU'
mained during the reason of 1826. Population so increased, that in the
fall of that year there were over sixty i)ersons resident in the town,
with more continually coming.
Lagrange is a little village of about 500 people, seven miles north-
east of Wellington, on tlie Uig Four line. It i.s incorporated; has a good
school, to aeeommfidate which a substantial liuilding was erected
in 181)1 and an annex in 1!)15; a ivliahle bank; sevei-al churches
aiul other evidences of intelligence, morality and progressiveness.
Henrietta Township
TTeiirietfa Township was organized from Tirowniielin in 1827, but it
was eight years before it ac(|uii'ed its present form, in Novendiei'. 182U,
IIISTOIJY OF I.OKA IN COUNTY 123
the inhabitants in the soutli part of IJrownlielni, pL'titioiied tlie coinniis-
sionors to taku oil' tlie three south tiers of lots, attaeli them to unsettled
lands lying, soutli, and incorporate the same into a township. The i)(;ti-
lioners took oeeawion to say, that it was seven miles from the lake shore
to the south line of the towusliip; that there had been but little eomnui-
nieatiou between the north and south settlements; and that if it was
extrouiely inconvenient for a portion of the people to transact the pub-
lic business of the town. The prayer of the petition was rejected, but
at tlie same session of the commissioners it was ordered tliat tracts 9, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, in range 19, with surplus lots lying west of said
tracts, be erected into a township, by the name of Henrietta, and be
atttaciied to Brighton for judicial purposes. The townsliip, as thus
formed, inchuletl a large part of the present Townsliij) of Camdem, and
a little more than two-thirds of Henrietta.
As organized, it was not satisfactory to the inhabitants of tlie south
part of Brownhelm, and in February, ]827, upon tlieir petition, two
tiers of lots, being over a mile in wiiUh, were iletaclied from the soutli
part of Brownhelm, and annexed to Henrietta; and tract No. 9, was
detached from Henrietta, ami annexed to Brighton. An election was
ordered for townsliip ofiiceis, wliich took place in Ai)i'il, LS27. Calvin
J..eonard, Simeon Durand and Smith Hancock, were elected trustees;
Justin Abbot, clerk; Joseph Powers, treasurer; Kdwai'd Durand, justice
of tile i>eace. In ^March, lcS;{9, lots 86, 87, and 88, wei'e detached from
lirowiihclm, and annexed to lleiirietla; and in March, 1835, lots 81, 82,
83, 84 aiul 85, the remainder of the tier, were added.
The fir.st settlement was on the Brownhelm Territory. The first
occui)ants were Calvin Leonard, Simeon Durand, Ruloft' Andress, Joseph
.Swift, John Denison, Uriali Hancock, Jedediah Holcomb, Aimoii IIol-
comb, 0])ed Holcomb, Jo.seph Powers, tlie A))liots and possibly otiiers.
They look up their abode there, in 1817, about tlio same time that
the Shore Settlement was made. After the organization of the town, in
1827, a postoffice was established on the hill, and 'Squire Aliliot appointed
first postmaster.
Camden TowNaiiu'
Tlu' townshiiis of Camden and Rochestcir were organized by the eom-
missiiiiHis of li'irain (Jounty in March, 1835. Camden Townshij) was
carved out of Hrigliton and lleni'ietta. Tim j)r()longation of the line
bel wccu Kiissia and Piltslield, west 1o range 20, was its noilheni
bomidary, and the extension west to llie same range, of tlie line between
Pill.sliclij and Wellinglon, its soiilhern. TrnelH !l and 10, and parl.s
124 HISTORY OF J.ORAIN COUNTY
of lots 8 and 11, in ranf^'c ]9, tof,'(.'tlii'r with surplus lands lyinj,' west,
J'oi-iiiud the material I'or its territorial eoiiijjosition. Tract !), by the
dralt at llartford, hceaiiK; aiiiM;X(;(l to (Jrai'loii, and was drawn hy
Leiinnjl Hturrs; tract 10, annexed to Dover, hy Neheniiah Hubbard and
Joshua Storrs. Tract 11, annexed to I'ittsheld, was drawn hy Henry
Champion and Lemuel Storrs. None of the lOth range south of Brown-
helin, as originally formed was surveyed into townships, hut was all
surveyed into tracts, which were originally annexed to other towns for
purposes of equalization.
Leonard Clark with his family, accompanied hy his wife's father,
Closes Pike, made the lirst occupancy of land now forming the Town of
Camden. This was in 1H2'.). The J'ainily livi'd there but a few years
before moving West. In ]\larcli, 1S;5;{, the families of William Scott and
John Johnston took up their settlement on tract 11. These were the
first families that permanently settled, at least in that part of the town
then constituting a part of Henrietta. Later in the season, a school-
house was "thrown up" by the inhabitants, and Mrs. Johnston gathered
the few children and opened the lirst school. Other settlers soon
joined, among whom were those of Waugh, Clark, Douglas, AVasid)urn,
Cyrenius, Holcomb, AVells, Lee, Wilcox, Smith and Eddy. On the (ith
of April, 1835, the first election for township officers was held in the
log schoolhouse, and resulted in the choice of Azel Washburn, Robert
Douglas and Obed Holcomb, trustees; John Cyrenius, clerk; David
Wells, treasurer. Gideon AVaugh was the first justice of the peace.
Rochester Townsiiii' and Vill.\ge
At the same session that Camden was set apart and organized into
a township, lots 1 to 15, inclusive of tract 'S, with all of tracts -i and 5
and a part of tract 6, in range 19, together with surplus lots, 9 to 14,
inclusive, lying west of the range, with a jiart of surplus lot 8, were
formed into the Township of Rochester. Tract No. 5, was drawn by
Uriah Holmes, in connection with the Town of Litchfield, IMedina
County; and tract 4, by Oliver Sheldon and others, was annexed to
Huntington. The first settlement was made hy Elijah T. Baiuiing, in
April, 18;n. Between ]8:{1 and 18:55 Benjamin C. Perkins, William
Slicpard, rlohn (Jonaut, John Baird, Samuel Smith, Luther Blair, ffo-sepli
IlatHcy, Nchcmiah Tuc.l<(;r, M. W. V\ Kay, lOrastus K'napp, Obijali
W. Bahcock, John Peet and others, some with families, were joined to
the .si'tllement.
The township was organized on the 6th of April, 1835, by the election
of John CoiiMut, Joseph liadley, and NeliciiiiMli Tuckci', trustees; 1\1. \j
itilu^i It It: I II;
IIIHTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 125
Blair, elurk; Benjamin C. Perkins, treasurer. Tiie organization of
Camden and Rochester, in March, 1835, completed the organization of
the townships of tlie L'litire county.
Rochester is a station and a village of perhaps 300 people on the
Big Four line, half a dozen miles southwest of Wellington. It owes
it« origin to the old Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad,
whicli, largely through the energy and influence of Dr. I). Z. Johns, of
Wellington, was put througli the southeastern i)art of the County, several
miles south of Elyria and Oberlin. The earlier settlement in the town-
ship was at the Center, although the postoffice of 1837 was at its south-
east comer. But with the construction of the railroad in 1849-50 the
postoffice was moved to the Station and not a few residents transferred
their interests tliither from the Center. The first store at the Station
was opened in 1848.
Revolutionary Soloier Buried in Eaton Township
One ()[' the very few Revolutionary soldiei-s buried in Lorain County
is Geoi'ge Fauver, whose remains lie in Butternut Cemetery, Eaton
Township. Among his descendants are such men as L. B. Fauver, Ross
Fau\'cr, L. 1). llaiidin and Julian Fauver of Elyria and L. A. Fauver,
of Lorain; also ]\Iable Ciibsoii, of Oljerlin, and the I\Iunn and Lyons
I'aiuilics, of lOaton Township.
CHAPTER IX
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
A Centennial IIekald — Earliest Record op Lake Shore Region — The
Sjiitix Tiuvels — Relics of French Adventurers — Rising ok the
Lake Level — Avon's Mysterious First Settler — Avon Through
A Hundred Years — Physical Features — Phcrrki'ont Edwards,
Original Proi'Rietor — Permanent Colony Arrives (1814) —
WiLiiUR Cahoon Founds First Permanent Faahlv — Orkjinal
Cahoon Tract — DivVth of Wilbur Cahoon — Nicholas Young —
Lewis' Austin — OTiiut Families Join Colony — Elaii Park — The
Sweet Family — First Settler in French Lick YiLLA(iE — 'I'iie
Stickney and Williams Famimios — First IOvknts — Industries —
Religious IMatters^I'ioneeu Schoolhouse — Holy Trinity Church
— Cueese-RIaking Auandoned — Curious Mounds Razed — Avon's
Patriotism — The Sheffield Centenniai, — Norman Day Descrihes
First Colonists — The Burrkli.s ExplorI': — Wallace, First Tem-
porary Settler — Four Settlers in Winter of 1815-16 — First
Woman and Pioneer Family — Arrival of the Day and Burrell
Families — Captain Smith and Family — Other Burrells Come —
Churches Organize — First Events — Township Oi;ganizati()n —
Death op Captain Smith — Other ^Members of the Family— De-
cease OP Pioneers — Historic Contributions PRt)M jMiss ]\Iav Day —
]}uilding the Saw-IMill on French Creek— Grist and Saw-I\Iill
— Other IMills — Brick Houses — Settling in a Duck Pond — The
Burrells and Hecocks — The Root Family— The Days — Items
About Pioneers (lENEiauLv — Two Cnsuccessful Institutions — •
Ship Builders and Lake Captains — Gold Hunters of l<s4!)-r)0 —
Judge William Day, Active Land 7\(;ent — The Parks Families
— Siii:ffield in the Civii, War— ]\Iilton Garfield — Sheffield's
IllSTOIiV, l<S()r)-l!)ir» I''|RST Ii'AILROAD l)lv\TII Ol' l\OBItlNS l)URRi;i,L
— Second Railroad — h\\TALiTV to I'Idward Uikuell — Woods
Li;vi:ui':i) for Sti;i;l I'lant — I'^ius'i' Siioi£'i' liiNE Sti!EI:t Car — I^ast
Ol'' Till'', Day rioNEi''.KS — l^'iitsT Cak o\i:u tiii'. MmsCTIgc -I'IigiitiI'.tii
J2G
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 127
AnNIVEHSARY ok CoNOKI'XiATKJNAL ClIUKCll — Cl>.VIMEU AS FOUNDER OF
Rural Free Dei.ivery — Jnuustwai. A1atter.s — Deaths of 1815-16
I'lONEERS — (JOLDEN WeUDINGS OlD FaMIIjY ReLICS FaMOUS
Natives — The German Residents — Hr. Theresa's Catiiomc
Church — Details of the Sheffield Celebration — The Absent
Ones — Historic Programme — Huntington 's Home-Coming —
Myron T. Heruick, Native Son— Professor F. D. Ward— The His-
toric Kelsey JiAND — Plans for a Centennial — The Perry Cen-
tennial — Local Particii'ation — The Niagara Raised from the
Lake Bottom — Grand Welcome to the Restored Flagsuu' —
Perry Relics Exhibited.
In the years 1914 and 19L5 oeeiirred various historic celebrations of
special interest to tlie old I'esidents in the territory and townships border-
ing Lake Erie. There were honie-eoniings of both families and sections,
marking the passage of a century since the pioneers of the lake region
in Lorain County tirst planted themselves therein for tlie benefit of the
generations whieli were to follow. Some of their descendants yet
remained in tiieir tracks, but most of them had ventured into other
counties and states.
A Centennial Herald
During tlie early period of tliis eenteiuiial season of celebrations and
reminiscences a wortliy herald appeai'ed in tlie columns of the Lorain
Times-Herald, with the following message: "The time is a])proi)riate
for mentioning tliat the centennial anniversary of the settlement of that
portion of tiie Lake Shore lying Itetween iilack River and Rocky River
is near at hand, and that people should he gathering their reminiscences
for the occasion. Tile townshii)s of Black River, Siietiield, Avon and
Dover are comprised within tliese Iioundarics. Eacli of these townsliips
will have its own tale to relate aliout the early settlers and their descend-
ants, reciting also matters relating to the life and improvements of the
century.
IOauijest Rkcoui) of FiAKK Shore Ri^ciox
"The earliest record of this i)arj of Ohio belongs in cominon to all
llies.' t()wnshi|)s, before their present boundaries were strictly marked.
The (iist reference to this lake region hitherto discovered is contained in
Chai'levoix' History of New Kranc, piiblished in 17-U. Speaking of
1li(! soiitliern sJHHv of j^nke i'lrie IJic imllini- says: 'All ihi.s ,s||,,iv is
128
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
nearly unknown. ' There is also an old French map made in 1755 to be
seen in the rooms of the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleve-
land. This map shows the country west of the Cuyahoga to the San-
dusky River, and this region, which includes the northern townsliips of
Lorain Comity is designated as the seat of war, the mart of trade and
the chief hunting grounds of the six Indian nations of the lake.
TijE Smith Travels
"In the spring of 1755 one, James Smith, eighteen years of age, was
captured near Bedford, Western Pennsylvania, by Indians from the
lake region. He was adopted into their tribe and remained with them
Centennial Ia)g Cabin, Elvria
until 1760, wlien he rejoined his own people, rose to the rank of Colonel,
and wrote an account of his adventures with his Indian friends. His
memoir was first published l)y James Taylor, a journalist of Sandusky,
in tlie first volume of his history of Ohio.
"Smith first saw Lake Krie six miles west of Black River and tells
how he Avas impressed by the roar of thu storm-driven waves. After
the storm subsided he, with the Indians, traveled east to the mouth
of Black River on the sand bcadi along the shore. lie tt'lls of seeing
ii nnmlier of large; (isli which had been stranded on the hea(;li in iiollows
in the sand by the foi-cc of llic waves tiial, on I'cceding, iiad left tlicni
tlicre. At tile mouth of the river was a eauip or town of tlie Wyandots.
Thi'y spent some time at the camp making hunting expeditions as far
IIISTOUY OF LORAIN COUiNTY 129
soutli as the falls of Black River, now Elyria. They found abundance
of t?anie — deer, lieai', I'aeeoons, etc. — and loaded tluniiselves witli fur.
Tlienee, with ])a(:kK of furs, they took an easterly course ami camped for
the winter of 1755-56 on the banks of Rocky River, where they found
much provision of game, etc., and in February made sugar. Starting
the latter part of i\Iarch the party made their way along the shore of
Lake Erie to Sandusky, where was a French trading post. There they
bartered their furs for clothes, paint and tobacco and whatever else
they fancied. After this they again moved east, this time in cauoes,
along the shore, landing at the mouth of the Cuyahoga. They spent the
winter of 1756-57 on the banks of this stream and in the spring, making
a large chestnut canoe, they had a fine voyage along the south shore of
tho lake as far as Sandusky, when, a storm coming up, they landed on
Cedar Point. Those who wish to read the further adventures of Colonel
Snutli may find them published in Howe's historical collections of Ohio,
Vol. II, page 580.
"Here we have a little ray of light thrown on the dark primeval
forests of northern Ohio. P\dl of game they were — deer, bear, raccoons,
wild turkeys— but we see the Indians 2)ref erring the water route to going
too far into the umbrageous wilderness. The lake also furnished them
with fish, although Smith relates that they were unskilful fishermen.
The country then was claimed by the French who had a trading j^ost at
Sandusky.
"As to the subsequent settlement and legal organization of these
townships much may be learned from an address delivered by Judge
AV. W. Boynton on July 4, 1876, on the early history of the Western
Reserve and Lorain County, which must always remain a most valuable
foundation for any future history. More details of these early days are,
however, very desirable, especially as to the Lake townships. Judge.
Boynton speaks of the difiiculty of obtaining accurate information. He
says: 'P'ew of the early settlers are left to recount the incidents, priva-
tions and rude pleasures of early life. Tradition is not always reliable,
and memory, once fresh and faithful, fades with advancing years.' If
this were so in 1876, the difficulties now, thirty years later, are cor-
respondingly increased.
"Nevertiielcss, much may undoubtedly be yet collected by those
interested in the sid).ject. There are local tales and traditions that no
person uiiaidetl could well gather. JMuch may be gleani'd from old deeds,
wills and other records, and there is a later history that can be readily
recalled.
Vul. I- i
130 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Rklics of Fhencii Adventuijes
"111 Avon, I'or instance, there is a graveyartl on tlie shore where
'tlie rude fore fat liers of the liaiiilet sleei>' eluse to tlie sounding hike tiiey
loved so well in life. Tradition siiy.s tliis plat was used for burial pur-
poses long before the settlers, wliose deseendants now live there, arrived.
And the original graves found in this God's aere were not Indian gi-aves.
The story told is that tliey are the graves of Freiieli soldiers or traders
who died on tiieir voyages to and fro on the lake.
"A bronze or brass pipe, a reiiiiniseeiice of the Frencii traders, was,
some years ago, dug out of a diteh near the bank of tlie lake, it was a
cheap thing, evidently made for the trade, in the sliape of a tomahawk.
The handle, tlie stem of the pipe, had rotted away, but the fleur de lis,
the lilies of France, were conspicuous on the patterned surface of the
brass.
Rising of the Lake Level
"Traditions about the lake levels are interesting and, if well looked
into, may even now prove of value. Some of the old settlers now dead
used to say that the lake was much lower when the first settlements were
made ; that the sand-bar now existing a short distance from the bank,
but now always under water, was then, in ordinary weather, above the
waves, and that between the sand-bar and the bank was a narrow strip
of water. When tiie sea rose it would wash over the bar and throw
fish into the water behind tiie bar where, when the sea went down, they
would l)e trapped and could be easily caught. This may have been so.
Fish were more abundant, and Smith seems to corroborate the tradi-
tion when he says he saw the sands covered witii fish after a storm,
and the gray and bald eagles feasting on them. These old settlers also
told how the water afterward rose, and ascribed the higher level to
the building of the wing dam on the Niagara River at Black Rock to
impound water for the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal was completed in
1825, but the dam may have been built later. Jf tiiis was the real cause
of the higher water we can see the effect on our lake shore property if
the recently proposed dam across the Niagara River to raise the lake
level be ever constructed.
"This tradition about the sand bar also relates tiiat before there was
any road on tiie bank, tliis bar was used as a road and that the U. S.
mail was carried upon it. .Judge Boynton states that the /ii-st mail west
of Cleveland was carried by liorace (Jiin in LSOH, and that there were
only two houses on the route over at Black River and one at i\lilan.
Ill 1809, he continues, the mail over this route was carried by Beiioni
HISTORY OK LOKAhN COUNTY 131
Adams, of Coliiinbia. Tlie only road was an Indian trail along the lake
and the carriei' went on loot. We have s('<mi tliat tlit'ic was an Indian
trail aluny the sand heaehes.
Avon's Mysteuious Fikst Settlek
"The first settler in Avon on the lake shore is said to have been one
Noah Davis. He eanie in 1812, did not remain long, went away and
never retnrned. lie was here two years het'oi'e any one is known to
liave settled on the ridge anil appears to iiave been tlie Moses Clcaveland
of Avon. One wonders what beeame of him. Is there any way of finding
ont his origin or his destiny? Like the man in the iron mask, the first
settler on the lake shore in Avon, we fear will ever remain a mystery.
"As the time for the eeiitennial celebration ai)i)roaelie.s, j)eople in
each of tiie townships ought to be interested to recall incidents of the
past, either of persojiaJ experience or of what they have been told l)y
their fathers. Using as a foundation the atldre.ss of Judge Boyiiton, it
will no doubt be possible to obtain a fairly complete and accurate history
of each of the lake townshijjs of Lorain County."
Avon Thk(jitgii a IIundued Years
^lention has already been made of the (Jahoon family, representing
a prominent pioneer force in the early settlement and development of
Avon Township and the county as a whole. Horace ,]. Cahoon, the
grantlson of Ihe family pioneer, Wilb\ir, who brought the original mem-
bers into the lake I'egion of Lorain County in 1814, is himself a native
of Avon Township in his seventy-eighth year. Four generations of the
family have contributed, both in public and private service, to the up-
building of the county, and it is very appropriate that Horace J. Cahoon
should have been a])pointed historian of the centennial celebration organ-
ized by the desceiulants of the original settlers of Avon Township and
held September 10, 1914. Upon that occasion he read the following
historical i)a[)er :
I'livsiCAii Features
"Avon, or township Xo. 7 in Range 1(i, is located in tlie northeast
cerncf of Loi'ain connly bounded as follows: On the iioilli by Lake l']rie,
on the soiilli by b'idgcvillc, on llie easi by Dover lownsliip in Ciiy;dioga
connly, nnd on Ihe west by Slieflield. The surface is generally level.
I'assing llirough the lownsliip ffom cnsi lo wesi and bearing soulhward
*«l] i..
132 HISTORY OK I^ORAIN COIJNTV
is wliat Hci'iiis to he a (toiilimiatiou ol' the ridf^'e .so proiiuiicully marked
in the easlcni coniitics of tlu^ State, and {j;en(^i'ally l)elieve(l to liave lieen
at some remote period llie shore of Ijake JOrie. Avon is an aj^ricultural
township, thougli daii-yiufj finds some eneouraj^ement, and on tlie extreme
shore of tiie lake grape growing is proseeuted to quite an extent.
''Pi(;rpont Edwards hecame proprietor at tlie draft in 1807 of Town
No. 7, Eange IG, togetlier with Bass island No. 1, eomprising 1,322 acres;
iiass Island No. 2 of 700 acres and Island No. 5, 35 acres, in Lake Erie,
west and north of Sandusky, annexed to the town for the purpose of
equalization. Previous to 1818 the inhabitants called the town Xeuma,
notwithstanding it was a part of Dover. On organization the township
was christened 'Troy' and continued to be thus known until December,
1824, when upon the petition of forty citizens the name was changed to
'Avon' by the commissioners of Lorain county.
Davis Settles on Lake Siioke Road
"Early in the history of the Western Reserve a road was established
from Cleveland westward along the shore of the lake. Over this mail
was transported as early as 1807. Through tiie township of Avon, this
road passed very near the bank of tlu; lake and here, where is now a
succession of tasty cottages and beautiful villas, Noah Davis, in the year
1812, made a settlement, the first in the township. He erected the first
log house, but where it was located, or who composed his family, we have
been unable to ascertain, as he only remained a short time, removing
from the township in less than one year.
Permanent Colony Aruives (1814)
"Two years passed before another attempt at a settlement is made,
this time by men of great courage and a fixed determination to make
themselves permanent homes in the wilderness. How well they have
succeeded, the finely kept farms, their substantial residences, skirting
the line of the settlement (the Ridge road) liear ample evidence.
AVii,iiiMi Caiioon Founds I^'irst Pkrmanent Family
" In the summer of 181-1- Wilbur Cahoon and family ; Nictholas Young
and son William; jjciwis Austin and family; l<)|)hraim Keycs and family;
and two brothers, Spink and Reuben Coo[)er, with Iheir wives, took liieir
departure from IMoiitgomery county. New York, for Ohio — the objective
l)oint being township No. 7 in llie IGlii Range. The cavalcade consisted
if
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 13::!
of five horses, four yoke of oxen and tliree cows. Arriving at Aslital)iila,
Keyes and llu; brotliers Cooper, decided to remain there for a time. Th(;
other three families eaitie on and early in the fall retaehed the end of
th(; Ridge road at Barney Halls in Dover townshif), Cuyahoga county.
Here the families remained until a road had been cut along the suuniiit
of the ridge to Section 11, in which the greater portion of the lands
selected hy Mr. Cahoon were situated. Soon a log house was constructed
on this section, the first liuilt ])y a permanent settler, and into this the
family of Mr. Cahoon soon moved.
"]\rrs. CahooJi was formerly ]\Iiss Priscilla Sweet of Rhode Island.
Their children were: Susan, who married Ilarley .Alasou, January 1,
1820; Jesse S., who married Macena jMoore, November 30, 1831;
"Wilbur, Jr., who married Thirza Moore, April 6, 1826; Ora B., who mar-
ried Jane T. Jameson, Deceud)cr 10, 183-1; Orra, the next child, who
)uari'i('(l Henry Titus; Huldah, who died in 1826 in the sixteenth yeai- of
her age; ^Melissa M., wlio married John C. Steele in 1833; and Ijeonard,
who married IMary Titus, November 14, 1848.
"Leonard, who was born December 1, 1814, was the [)ioneer baby,
being the first native white cliild born in the township.
OuiGiN.Mi Cauuon Thact
"Wilbur Cahoon purchased his land of Orrin Ensign (who had sur-
veyed the township and reeeived in payment certain tracts, lying in
dijferent sections of the township), paying therefor in eastern lands.
The description of the lands conveyed is as follows: Premises lying in
Township No. 7 in the 16th Range of townships, in the Connecticut Re-
serve (so called) in the State of Ohio, to wit: The north half of Lot
No. 3 estimated at 328 acres; 188 acres on the west side of Lot No. 6
and 170 acres in Lot No. 11, south of lands deeded to Elias Cady in said
lot by the State of Connecticut, extending through the whole length of
said lot east and west and etjual wiilth, each tract to be dividetl by
parallel lines with the lines of the lot from which the same is taken, con-
taining 686 acres, more or less, being the same land once conveyed to
the said Wilbur by the said Orrin and the same Orrin not having
on record his deed of the same land, as the law requires, has taken a
new deed and makes this conveyance to the said Wilbur on condition
that the former or first conveyance by deed of said land is null and
void and of no effect to the said Wilbur conviyed by the said Orrin.
"Warranty Deed Signed by Oi'i'in lOnsign
Cuyahoga Co. Deed
Volume H-2 Page 207 Naiu^y Ensign to Wilbur Cahoon.
Dated Dee. 13, 1815. Filed l\Iay 8, 1816.
Considcralien $2,000.00."
IM HISTORY OV LOUAliV COUNTY
Death of Wimuiu Caiioon
" Wilbur (Jaiioon did not live to witiu-ss tlic (•oiriplctioii of llic (ii'st
frame house in tiie township. Sudch'uly and swiftly cauie the pale
uiessenjxer; while in full health he was stricken down with apoplexy and
in one brief hour had passed on. This was in the year 182G. Tiie wife
and mother survived him many years, dying in 1857.
Nicholas Young
"The land of Nieliolas Young consisted of one lumdrod acres in
Section 22; afterwards owned by Di: N. S. Townslu-nd. U])on this a
log dwelling was constructed during the sunnijer of 1815 by himself and
his son William. AVhen ready for occupancy Mv. Young returned east
for his family, with whom he arrived in October. He exchanged his
farm in Section 22 for land in Section 15, at the center, upon which he
remained until 1835, when he disposed of his property and removed to
Wisconsin.
Lewis Austin
"Lewis Austin settled on fifty acres of land in Section 27, then
owikhI by Waterman Sweet and now the property of the heirs of
William Ilurst. Mr. Austin's family were a wife and seven children,
none of whom renuiin in the township.
Other Families J(jin Colony
"The summer of 1815, the throe families "who remained at Ashtabula
joined our little colony. Ephraini Keycs was originally from Tyring-
ham, ]\las.sachnsotts. Tie settled on the west side of Section 11. His
ramily were a wife and three children, none of whom remain in the
township.
"^Messrs. (.'oojier became the owners of tiie entire lands contained in
Seel ion 1. Spink Coopei- and wil'e both died about 18;{.'5, leax'ing no
children. The wife of Keiiben Cooper died soon alter settling in Avon,
and he married a young wife !)y whom lie iiad two children. In June,
1821), li(! and family were returning from an adjoining township and
while attempting to cross Ulack U'iver (then swollen to an unusual
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 135
lu'it,'lit by rcL'i'iit rains) in a cart drawn by oxon, tlie eonveyanco was
ovcrl.nnicd, and he and one ciiild drowned, as was also a younj^ y;\v],
\lnv\\r\ i'otlcr, wlio was witli tliciii. The wil'c alli-rward niarricd licvi
Wetnioi'L' and iinally removed to Michigan.
"Three brothers, Abraliain, Oliver and Lodowicli I\roon, reached
Avon at about the same period the Coopers did and a short time after
another brotlier, Amos Moon, arrived, (,'olonel Al)raham Moon married
Tlierissa Durand in 1819. Hhe was a native of Esse.\ county, New York,
but had located in Henrietta, this county, prior to marriage. Colonel
JMoon purchased three hundred acres of land in Sections 1 and 2. He
erected a double log house and in time planted an orchard of five
huiulred trees covering a space of ten acres. He died in September,
1831. His family con.sisted of three sons and one daughter.
Elaii P.\rk
"Elah Park, whose place of nativity was Tyringiiam, Bei-kshire
county, Massachusetts, married Elizabeth ]\Ioon of the same place. He
settled on Section 21 in Avon township in the fall of 1815. Mr. Park
was a prominent public man, and held many positions of honorable dis-
tinction, beginning with the office of justice of tlie peace, to which he
was many times elected. He was recorder of Lorain county from 1841
to 1843, and state representative from 1846 to 1848. He died in Avon
October 22, 18C6. Mrs. Park died iMarch 14, 18C!).
Tiiii: Sweet Family
"Waterman Sweet (a bi-other of Mrs. Priscilla Calioon) came from
Norway, Herkimer county, New York, to Avon in the year 1817, arriving
on July 18th. He located on three hundred acres of land in Section 27.
With ]\lr. Sweet came his aged father and mother, Jes.se and Huldah
Sweet, a widowed si.ster, who married Daniel Wilco.K, and his own
family, then a wife and three children, William, Colvin and Laura.
Four children were born subsequently to his locating in Avon : Eliza,
Henrietta, Cinderella and Mary Ann. Waterman Sweet died November
14, 1S72, and ]\Irs. Sweet July 28, 1843.
h'lKST SKri'i,i':i{ in Fi(i:n(;ii Chiikk Vim.ack
"John Steele was the first, settler in French Creek Village. He came
in 1817, his log house was erected on the site of the present Catholic
ehnrcli, lie snbseipienlly moved to Aniher.sl.
136 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
"Adam Miller and Gaston Young were the first i)t'rnianent settlers
on tile lake shore. ]\Ir. iMiller loeated on Seetion 6, i\Ir. Young moved
into the Davis eat)in. Of other settha's along the siion- we find that
Josei)h Moore from iMiddh^town, (>)nne('ti(Mit, settled on Section lb.
.iohn Mast in, lOdmonds, Oolhy, JJritton and otiiei-s were early settliu'S
in this loeality, hut we are uiial)le to learn anything furtiier of them.
The Stickney and Williams Families
"Alhin Stickney made the trip from Cornwall, Vermont, to Ohio,
in 1815, traveling the entire distance on foot. lie remained in Madison,
Lake county, until the year 1817, when he removed to Avon. lie
settled on one hundred fifteen acres in Section 22. His wife was ]\Iiss
Clarissa Moon of Avon. They ilied iipoii this farm, she on ]\Iay 3, 18G6,
and he on February 17, 1807. Three children were born to this union:
Solomon R., Sarepta R. and Sidney A., tlie latter being 'the only sur-
vivor, and now in his eighty-fourth year.
"Larkin "Williams and family, of a wife and eight children, came
from Berkshire county, ]\Ias.sachusetts, in the fall of 1817. He settled
on the ridge east of the center. John Hurlingame came from Rutland,
Vermont, to Ohio in the fall of 1822, locating on one hundred acres of
land in Section 7 directly on the bank of Lake Erie.
"Joseph B. Jameson, wife and three children, settled in Avon in
1824. Their location was on the ridge, some one half mile east of
French Creek. The eldest eliild, Jane T., married Ora B. Cahoon.
• First P]vents
"The first marriage occurred in the fall of 1816, the parties most
interested were AVilliam Richmond and ]\Iiss Rhoda, adopted daughter
of Reu1)eu Cooper. Joel Terrell, Esq., of Ridgeville Township made
the twain one flesh.
"The first doctor to locate in Avon township was Heman, son of
Larkin Williams. Dr. Williams is spoken of as a gentleman of fine
ability and superior professional attainments. lie was also the first
postmaster of Avon townshif), said offi(!(^ being established in 1825.
"TIk; first death was Lydia iM., daughter of Larkin Williams,
January 11, 1818. Sh(i requested that ber burial might be under a chest-
nut tree (a favorite resting place of hers) on the knoll on the site of
the present cemetery at the center of Avon township.
"TIk; first wheat sown was by AVillmr (,'ahoon in the Call of 1815.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 137
The following? spring he planted an orcliard of one Inindred trees ou
Section 11. The trees were procured at Newburg, Cuyahoga county.
"Samuel Carpenter opened the jiioneer store in Avon at French
Creek in 182-1 or 1825. Tliis venture does not appear to have been a
success as he soon closed out and removed from tlie township.
"Tlie iirst blacksmitli in Avon township was a man named Cheeney.
He removed from the township pi'ior to 1818. Adolph Cai'lick suc-
ceeded him in 1818 or 1819.
"The first hotel was kept by John Steele at French Creek soon
after the settlement.
"A distillery was erected at French Creek <juite early in tl)e settle-
ment b.y two men from Dover township, Cuyahoga county. Tliis was in
operation for only a few years.
"In the year 1818 a special election was ordered for townsliip
officers to be held November 9th, at which time the following persons
were elected : Elah Park, John "Williams, and Lodowieh JMoon, ti'ustees ;
Larkin Williams, clerk; Abraham ]\Ioon, treasurer; James B. Fitch and
Tyler "Williams, constables. On June 22, 1819, Jabez lUirrell and
AVilbur Cahoon were elected justices of the peace.
Industries
"The first saw-mill was erected on Section 11 in llie fall of 1815 ))y
Wilbur Cahoon. The waters of Frencli Creek were utilized to propel
tlie rude macliinery of this mill, which was in operation full fifty years.
Another saw mill was erected on the same stream Ijy Messrs. Jameson
& Ileminway Brothers in the year 1824. This mill was in operation
for many years. In the summer of 1818 Wilbur Cahoon built a grist
mill near the saw mill above mentioned, tlie water propelling which
being supplied from the same pond. There were two run of stone. This
mill was finally abandoned in consequence of a scarcity of water.
Religious IMatters
"The first religious service in Avon township was held at the house
of Nicholas Young immediately after a settlement was commenced by
a local preacher of the Baptist church named Jashar Taylor, then resid-
ing ill Dover township. A cliurch was not formed however until the
year 1817. In elune of that year KUU'V llartwelj from the JOast lield
meetings at the housi! of AVilbur Cahoon a few times and traveled west-
ward. Returning some two or three months later, he found that the
seed sown on his first visit had brought fortli fruit, the result of wliieh
138 HISTORY OK LORAIN COUNTY
was tliat the following persons were fonned into a church: Nicholas
Young and wife, Jared Jiarr of Avon, Jashar Taylor, Atwell and wife
of Oovcr, Dean Alexander and wife of Koekjjort. la 1818 a log scliool-
lionse was built at the center and in this regular services were iield.
The lirst ordained minister to settle in Avon was the liev. John Tuttle,
who remained until his death, some four years.
"In the year 1826 or 1827 a large block meeting house was built.
In it were held meetings of all denominations. This was burned in 1837.
The present Baptist church was built iu 1839 or 1840. The first class
of the M. E. church was organized as early as 1820. This class was
composed of Keyes Carpenter and wife, "Waterman Sweet and wife,
I^lphraim Keyes and wife, Amasa Chapman and wife, Elah Park and
wife, AVillis Potter and wife, AVilliam Richmond and wife, and Mrs.
Polly and ]\Iary Cooper, wives of David and Reuben Cooper. Keyes
Carpenter was class leader. Rev. IMr. Smith, a local preacher, organ-
ized this class and was the first minister of tiiis denomination to locate
iu Avon.
Pioneer Sciiooliiouse
"Tile first school lious(! in Avon township was erected in tlie summer
of 1818. The material of whieh it was constructed was logs and the site
was at the center of tlie township. The suljsequent fall Larkin A.
Williams began teaching in this building. There were twenty-five chil-
dren in attendance, mo.'^tly from the fanulies of Gaboon, Cooper, Wil-
liams and Steele.
Holy Trinity Church
"Among tlie first settlers of East Avon were several families who
were natives of Bavaria, Germany. The following named persons
formed what is now known as The Holy Trinity church : Jacob Mueller,
Paulus Faber, Peter Schwartz, John Nagel, Peter Bierinacher, Simon
and Adam Zeh, Nicholas ]\rotsh, Peter Kraus, John Nagel, second, and
Peter Seheit. The first church was erected in 1843 and was a sul)-
stantial frame structure, 30x40 feet in size, and stood on what is now
the cemetery. This church building has long since passed out of existence
and lias been replaced l)y a very pretentious and modern church build-
ing wjiicli stands on i)aiM of llm land formei-ly owned by Dr. N. S.
Townshcnd. There is also another veiy modern church at French Creek,
but of this we have been unal)le to pi'ocure dala nei-essary for history.
There was at once time ([uitc an extensive Congregational cluii'cii in
Avon. This lui.s long ceased lo be.
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 139
Cheese-Making Abandoned
"Tliu first clieese factory was erected on Section 28 about 1865 by
Messrs. .Jameson, Snow & Phelps. It was not a succes-s and was dis-
continued after one season. The French Creek factory was l)uilt in
Marcli, 1875, by Wilbur and Josepli Cahoou on Section 11. This was
operated for a number of years, but was finally discontinued for lack
of patronage.
CiiKious Mounds Razed
"When tlie settlement was made in Avon there was on the west bank
of Frencii Creek in Section 11 quite a remarkable endjankiiient. Jt was
constructed of stone, circuhir in form, of some six or eiglit feet in
lu'iglit and perhaps four rods in diameter. Tiie stone were of snudl
size and were not reguhirly laid, but were simp!}' piled up. Further
down the creek was an iuunen.se mound of stone, the most remarkable
feature of wiiicli was that it was composed of snudl sized 'cobble head'
stones and was located in a portion ol' the township wliei'e this kind
of stones do not abound. On the ridge, where now stands tiie Methodist
Episcopal churcli tliere were a luunber of mounds. These, on being
opened, were found to contain human bones. These were leveled to the
eartli, and the stones comprising the fortification were drawn away as
re(juired, until notiung now remains to nuirk the spot.
"]\lany remember the early days of 1861. Sumter had fallen. The
Soutliern Confederacy was formed; the Soutli had organized a for-
mitlal)le army; secession was unnnstakal)ly resolved ui)on. So appalling
Avere these events that tin; Nortii stood awiiile paralyzeil anil awe
stricken. Then came our president's call for seventy-five thou.sand men.
Everywhere throughout the northern states there was a hearty response
— nowhere was it heartier tiiau upon the Reserve of Northern Ohio.
Avon took a gallant part in this first outburst of northern patriotism;
and during the entire period of the war there was no time when she
was found faithless to duty. AVherever danger lurked thickest there
we find the Avon boys. IMany, very many never returned; their lives
went out as a sacrifice, and l)eneath the skies of the sunny South, where
the groves of the magnolia and the orange shed an undying i)erfume —
the spot perliaps unmarked and unknown — they 'sleep the sleep that
knows no waking.' "
TjIE SiIKI'TIKLD (h':N'l'KNNIAI>
Sheftield Township celebrated the centennial of its original settle-
ment in August, ll)ir>, the Day fauuly holding mucii the same relation
140 HISTORY OF LOIMIN COUNTY
to its liisloi'y Jis do the Calioons to tlic pioneer ])i'o<fi'e,ss of Avon,
('iipl. -liihe/, HiiiTell and ('apt. -John Day, of Sliellield, iMas.saeluisetts,
Wen; tli<: lii'st owncu's ol' (lie towiisliip to a<:tnally examine llu; land for
purposes of settlenuiiit and to make a sueeess of tlieir venture. As
they were the real founders, so in the eenteinn'al eelehration membei's
of tlieso two families were most prominent in tlie litei'ary and liistorie
exci'cises of the gathering.
On the fiftieth aiuiiversary of tlie settlement, held on the I'Mh of
November, 1865, Norman Day read his historic and original address
covering the period up to that time. Mr. Day's paper was re-read at the
centennial anniversary, and Mrs. G. L. Cuddeback presented the history
of the township from 1865 to 1915. The "Early History of Slieffield
Township," prepared by Miss jMay Day, adds many interesting items to
tlie paper originally written by Norman Day. Tlie material facts in
these three articles are therefore given in the following paragraphs and
present a complete history of one of the mo.st interesting and sul)stantial
of the lake townships.
Norman Day Dkscriues Fujst Colonists
In January, 1815, (Japt. Jabez Bui'i'cll and Capt. -lolin Day, of
Shcl'tichl, licrkshire (-'ounty, ^Massachusetts, purchased of (jen. Win.
Hart, of Saybrook, Connecticut, townsliip No. 7, in tlie 17tli range of
townshij)S, Connecticut Western Reserve, State of Ohio, now Shel'tield,
Lorain County. After the purcha.se by Burrell and Day, Obadiah
Deland of Slieffield, Capt. Josliua Smith, Col. Joseph Fitch, and Solo-
mon Fitch of New Marlborough, Berkshire County, Isaac Hurrell, of
Salisbury, Herkimer County, State of New York and Henry Austin of
Owasco, Cayuga County, became partners.
The Burreu.s Explore
The two Burrells, Day and Smith, explored the township in June,
and selec'tcfl lots for themselves and friends. About the (ii'st of October,
Captain Smith and his oldest son, Douglass, then a lad seventeen years
of age, left l\lassaehu.s(1ts with a yoke of o.\en and horse and necessary
tools for clearing and cultivating a new farm. .After starting, Cajitain
Smith left. Douglass to pursue the tedious Joiinicy alone, while lie went
to Sacketl.'s Harbor to visit friends, but overtook him again before
li(^ got to Oiiio. On tile eleventh duy of Novi'iiiber, they arrived at
Wilbur (Gaboon's, in Avon. The ne.\t day being Sunday, tliey rested,
and on the Ihirleenlh day of November, 1HI5, they followed down l''rench
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 141
(Jrcck williout ;i trjiil, .uid coinmoiicfd tlu; first permaiiuiit si'ttloineiit in
the t()wii,slii|), oil lot 04, llic lai'iii now owned by Frederick Krelile.
WAMiACK, FlICST TkMI'OUAUV SK'lTLIClt
J'revious to the purchase of tlic townsliip ))y BurrcU and Day, about
1812, (jcncral Hart made an arrangement witli a young man, Timotliy
Wallace, to commence a settlement, by which he was to have a choice
of lots, provided Mr. Hart sold the township by lots, lie selected lot 65,
now owned by Robbins Burrell, improved a few acres, built a small
house and then abandoned it. The cause was supposed to be fear of the
Indians. Nothing more is known of his history. Captain Smith's
nearest neighbors were John S. Reid and Daniel Perry, at the mouth of
the river, four miles, Cahoon, of Avon, five miles, and JMoses Eldred, of
Ridgeville, seven miles distant. For comfortable lodgings, they spent
some of their nights at the mouth of the river, and some at Cahoon 's.
Four Settlers in Winter of 1815-16
There was a road through the town on the lake shore, the road lead-
ing from Cleveland to Huron, and a wagon track from Ridgeville to
the old fishing ground, at the upper end of the Big Bottom, where men
and boys came from Ridgeville and Columbia every spring to catch
fish. They were taken in the night in great abundance, while running
over the ripi)le, with a torch maile of hickory l)arks and a spear. It was
rare sport and furni.shed one of the necessaries of life. In a few
days after the arrival of Captain Smith and son, they were joined
by two young men from their native town (New Marlborough), Samuel
]5. Fitch and Asher Chapnuin. These four men soon built a rude shanty
where they spent the winter of 1815-16, shut out from the outer world,
dependent upon their own resources for amusement and enjoyment.
Captain Smith was a humorous, jovial man; enjoyed a joke, and was
fond of a good story, well calculated to amuse himself and companions
in their seclusion.
First Woman and Pioneer Families
fn F('I)i-uary, 1816, Fi-ecman Richmond settled on lot 2, now owne<l
by Josepii Townsliend. Mrs. Richinond wa.s Hk! first r(!male settler.
On the tiiii'd day of Ai)ril of this year, Henry Root and wife and si.x
eliildren arrived from Sheflield, Massachusetts. The children's names
weie Aaron J., Wm. Henry, Julia Aiui, Jane, Frances and Mary. They
142 HISTORY OV LORAIN COUNTY
lived three weeks in tlie slianty with Captain Smith, wliile they pre-
Itai-ccl a liaintatioii i'or tlieui.selves. .Mr. Root settled on lot 17, near
wiiere tiie (jlei'iiian Chureii Jiow .stands.
Soon after the arrival of Mr. Root and family, Oliver Moon, from
Avon, State of Kgw York, located on lot 11; Milton Garfield and John
B. Cartield, of Tyringham, Massachusetts, on lots 73 and 74; A. R. Dim-
inick on lots 75 and 7(j; Wni. Richmond on lot 2, with his brother Free-
man, and Willis Potter on lot 1.
AinavAL OF tue Day and Bukkell Families
On the 27th of July, Captain Day and family arrived. Their names
were William, Rhoda, .Maria, John, Norman, Fanny, James, Lydia, Kel-
logg and Frederick; and Fdmond A. and JCieanor, horn in Ohio.
On the nth of August, Captain liurrell and family of eight children,
anil Solomon Weeks, a young man who had been an apprentice to
Captain Jiurrell, arrived by way of tiie lake, on tiie .schooner Black
Snake, and came up the river on Keid's ferry scow. Their names were
Julia, Saraii M., Roliliins, liyman J., Soloma, Jabe/. L., Hli/.a and
]\Iary Ann.
JNlessrs. Burrell and Day shii)ped their heavy household goods and
farming utensils at Schenectady, on a small, half decked schooner of
about tiftecn tons burthen, called the Fire Fly, built there by Anon
Ilarmond, of New .Alarborough, j\Iassachusetts. lie sailed up the
^Mohawk, locked by the Little Falls; and thence by the Rome Canal into
Wood Creek; down AVootl Creek into Oneida Lake; then down the outlet
and Oswego River to Lake Ontario. At t^ueenston he unloaded and
drew her out; loaded her on cart wheels, drew her by Niagara Falls to
Chil)I)ewa and launciied ; then drew her cargo and reloaded; then ])ro-
eeeded through the lake and uj) Black River to the mouth of French
Creek, and landed her cargo of salt and goods on the I>ig Bottom.
Captain Smith and Family
In the fall of ISUi, Captain Smith went to IMassacluisetts for iiis
family, and returned in March, 1817. In his family were eight chil-
di-cn: Douglass, Isaac, Rachel, Elea/.er, Harvey, AVarren, Caleb and
licnel. Aiicl Moore eame li-om New MarIl)orougii with Captain Smith,
and settled on lot 50 with three ciiildren : Lorinda, Lovina and Abigail.
In h'eliruary of this year, Henry Austin and wife, from Owasco, Stat(>
of New York, settled on lot 81, and Nathan Stevens and wife, from
New Marlborough, on lot 81. In June, Davis Heacoek and I'lraslus
IIISTOKV OF J>ORAIN (JOIINTY 143
Ileaeock selected lots 85 and 86 and conimeDcod improving tlieiii, keep-
ing haclielor's hall. About the same time Samuel iMunson connueneed
on lot, 72.
UtJIEH JiuUKELLS CuAlK
On the 5tli of July, James Burrell, from Hloomtield, New York,
arrived and settled on lot 61). His children were JIarriet, Cyla, Aliuoran
and Alva J. Arnokl Jiurrell and wife eame from Binghamton, New
York, liis first residence was on lot 68.
Isaac Jiurrell, one of the proprietors, from Salisbury, New York,
arrived on the 28th of February, in his family were six children:
Eunice, Hiram, Jane, Augusta, Mary and Charlotte. In the spring of
this year, Daniel Perry, who came from Vermont to the mouth of Black
River, in 1810, sold his farm there and luoved into Sheffield with a
family of nine children: Polly, Harvey, Sophia, Alexander Hamilton,
Koyal, Julius, Lester, Bushrod and Williams, and located on lot 22.
The Fleming family are old residents but not properly pioneers. In the
winter of 1816, religious meetings were conunenced at the house of
Cai)tain Burrell, which consisted in reading a sermon, singing and
prayer by ]Mr. Ilanchett, of Kidgeville, then working for Captain Bur-
rell, for there was not at that time a male profes.sor in the settlement.
Whatever of moral and religious princii)le hangs about the native popu-
lation of Sheffield is due to the intiuenee of pious pioneer mothers, in
the si)ring of 1816, Alvan Coe preached the first sermon. About the
first of June, Eev. Jesse Ilartwell, a Baptist elder from New lAlarl-
Ijorough, on a mis.sionary tour to the western part of the Reserve, held
]iieetings on his way out and when he returnetl. In July, Mr. Treat,
of Windham, and Mr. Seward, of Aurora, Portage County, visited the
settlement as missionaries.
Churches Org.\nized
In the fall of this year (1817) Alvan Hyde, a young man of talent
and pit^ty-^son of Reverend Doctor llydc, of Lee, Berkshire County,
Massachusetts— was commis-sioned by the Berkshire Missionary Associa-
tion to ])reach in the new settlements on the Resen-e. He chose for his
(ii'ld of labor Dover, Slieffield and Ridgeville, alternately. The setth^'s
of Slieffi,.!,] jiiid Dover wen; fi'oin Berkshire Coniity. The cliureli at
Dover was formed in his native town by iiis father, before lliey left
in ISll. Mr. Hyde's labors, and the sudden death of Captain Smifli,
made a deep impression on the infant settlement; a revival followed'
and some were boj)efully converted.
144 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Oil the 1st of Miiy, 1818, Rev. William AVilliams, a luissiouaiy from
the (.'omieclieuL J\li.s.si()iiai'y Society, as-sisted hy Mv. Hyde, I'onned a
Coiigre{,'ational Chureii. The members were Natiiau Stevens and wife;
Mrs. Mary liurrell, wife of Capt. Jabez Burrell, and their daughters
Julia and Sarah M. ; Mrs. Martha Smith, wife of Capt. Joshua Smith,
and Douglass their son; Henry Root, Preston Pond, Wm. Day, Wm.
Sniith, Samuel B. Fiteh and Daniel Perry, thirteen in number.
First Events
The tirst school was taught by Dr. Preston Pond, from Keene, New
Hampshire. The sehoolliouse stood on the brow of the hill north of
the center schoolhouse.
The tifst white child born in the town was Maiy Ann Austin, August
20, 1817; died November 15, 1831, in the Town of Skaneateles, Onondaga
County, State of New York.
The first couple married were Samuel IMunson and Phila Tyler, by
Ebenezer Whiton, Esq., December 17, 1818. IMr. Muuson died August
6, 1820. Mrs. Munson married Mr. Rooks, and died at Niles, Cayuga
County, New York, July, 1862.
TowNSiiu' Org.vniz.\tion
When Dover was organized it included Avon and Sheffield to Black
River, which was then the dividing line between Cuyahoga and Huron
counties. The west side of the river was in Black River Township.
In 1818 Avon was organized with tlie name of Troy, including the east
part of Sheffield. Jal)ez Burrell was elected justice of peace, June 22,
181!), and re-elected August 13, 1822. The first act of the Lorain County
(Commissioners, at their first .session, in June, 1824, was to organize
the Town of Siieffield. The first town meeting was held July 10, 1824.
The officers chosen were Nathan Stevens, clerk; John Day, Isaac Bur-
rell and A. R. Dimmick, trustees; Milton Garfield, treasurer; and Jabez
Burrell and Henry Root, poorma.sters. Nathan Stevens was the first
magistrate after the town was organized.
Death of Captain Smith
Captain Smith, the first .settler, was the fir.st to die. He fell a victim
to the ague and bilious fever, and died suddenly September 2f), 1817.
Tile infant settlement was shocked as the thrilling news spread from
house to house: "Captain Smith is deail!" Deacon James, of lirowii-
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 145
helm, officiated at the funeral, giving out to be sung the good old
runeral pieces, "Hark from tlie Tombs" (tune. New Durham) and the
ninetieth Psalm, "l^ord. What a Feeble I'ieee" (tune, Florida). It
was a solemn tlay, and tlie death of Captain Smith was deeply lamented.
A burying ground was selected on the bluff near French Creek Bridge,
where he was then buried, but being afterwards abandoned, in 1848,
his bones were disinterred and deposited in the Ridge Cemetery.
Other Members of the Family
]Mrs. Martha Smith, widow of Captain Smith, was married January
16, 182G, to General Isaac Hall, of Pompey (now La Fayette), Onon-
daga County, New York, where she lived to a good old age, and died
Octol)er 18, 1859. Douglass remained in Slieffield, and died Marcli 16,
1862. Lsaac lives in Hopkinsville, Iowa. Rachel married Ceorge W.
Cotton, and died in Elyria, September 21, 1859. ]\Ir. Cotton died March
28, 1865. Eleazer died in LaFayette, New York, January 23, 1849.
Harvey died in Newton, Calhoun County, Michigan, October 5, 1852.
AVarren lives in ]\Iiehigan. Calel) died in Delhi, Delaware County, Iowa,
l\Iarcii 14, 1861. Reuel lives in Logansport, Indiana. Samuel B. Fitch
settled on lot 62. In Septend)er, 1818, he married Dolly Smith, of his
native town, New Marlborougli. She died May 6, 1845. Mr. Fitch
married a second wife, Miss Nancy Willard, of Pawlett, Vermont. She
died Noveml)er 4, 1860. Mr. Fitch died September 15, 1861. Asher
Chapman, the last survivor of the four who spent the winter of 1815-16
in the wilderness, first settled in Avon where Doctor Townshend now
lives, moved to Amherst, then to Wisconsin, and finally died in IMichigan
in the early part of the present year, 1865. Freeman Riclimond and
Willis Potter live in Amherst. William Richmond lives in LaGrange.
Mrs. Richmond, the first female settler, died in the summer of 1819.
Decelvse op Pioneers
Henry Root died April 6, 1829. ]\Irs. Root died February 11, 1859,
at tile advanced age of eighty-seven years. Captain Aaron Root died
September 13, 1865. Francis died Septenil)er 6, 1862. IMary (.Mrs.
Fitzgerald) died December 4, 1859. Wm. H. and Julia Ann (:\Irs.
Noniian Day) are in Sheffield, and Jani' (Mrs. Harvey Austin) is in
Monroe, Michigan. Oliver Moon and wife, and ,John li. ({arlicid and
wil'e are living on llie farms where they first localed. (lolonel Milton
Garlield died Novendier 5, 1862. His widow is still living in Sheffield.
Mr. Diinmiek lost Iiis wife in l\lay, 182!); married again, movi-d to
Vdl. I— 10
146 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Aiiilierst and there lost his second wife; moved to Illinois and from
there to Oregon, wlmi'e he died in tlie spring or snnnn(;i' of 18()4.
"(Japtain -John Day died Oetoher 8, 1827. Mrs. Day died Oetober
U, 1854. Rhoda Maria died October 10, 1825. These three deaths
occurred each on Llonday morning, and they were severally buried on
the day of the State election. Frederic died August 11, 1840. Of the
nine survivors eight are residents of Shetilield, and one (Kellogg) is in
Denmark, Iowa.
"Mrs. Jabez Burrell died August 26, 1831; Esc]. Burrell married
again in June, 1833, and died September 25th of tlie same year. Of
their eight children, six survive. Julia (]\Irs. Humphrey) and Sarah
31. (Mrs. Knapp) live in Windham, Portage county; Robbins on the
old farm, Lyman J. in California, Jabez L. in Oberlin, and Eliza (Mrs.
Whittlesey) in Cleveland; Saloma (Mivs. Warner Strang) tlieil in Octo-
ber, 185G. Mary Ann (Mrs. Jiol)ert E. Cillett) died July 31, 1837.
Solomon Weeks lives in Allen Township, Allen county, Indiana. Ariel
Moore died February 10, 1824; Mrs. Moore removed to Fredonia, New
York, where she died a few years since. Lorinda (]\Irs. Norman Bedor-
tha) and her sister Lovina live at Saratoga. Abigail (Mrs. Burgress)
went on a mis.sion to India, and died there. Nathan Stevens and wife
died in Michigan. Henry Austin and wife went back to tlieir native
town in 1820, and are both living.
"Davis Heeoek and Erastus Ilecock left their river farms and
located in the southwest part of the town. Davis died October 18,
1858. Erastus is a resident of Siieliield. James Burrell died Septem-
ber 2i), 1855. Mr.s. James Burrell died July 6, 1862. Harriet (Mrs.
John B. Garfield) is the only survivor of the family. Cyla died
March 20, 1818. Almoran died December 28, 1841, and Alva J. died
June 20, 1833. Arnold Burrell and wife live in the townsliip of
Elyria.
"Isaac Burrell died March 12, 1860. Mrs. Burrell, the last of the
pioneers who came into town with a family, died December 17, 1864.
Their six children all survive: Eunice (Mrs. Era.stus Ilecock), Hiram,
on the old farm, Jane (Mrs. Butman) and Augusta (Mrs. Wm. Day)
live in Sheffield; ]\Iai'y, in Elyria, and Charlotte (]\Irs. Amanda IMoore)
on Put-in Bay Island."
HiSTOlUO CloNTUIIUITIONS KUO.M ]\IlSS I\[.\V D.W
Judge Williiim Iliii't of Saybrook, (^otinceticiit, bouglit (lie Town-
shij) of Shel'lield, with the addition of 1,500 aci'cs in Ileni-ictta, for
.+30,^62. It is not known what Jabez Buri-ell and John Day agnted
li r-IVBCl
IllSTOJiY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 147
to i);iy ^fr. Hart for the towiiHliij), but wi; do know tlicy sold Obadiali
Di'land oiic-ci^ditli of their piirchas*'. Tor $l,2(i!).!);{. Tlie lownsliij) h)t.s
W(M'e ol" dill'erciit sizes and sold i'or varyinj^ jd'ieis.
I^uiLDiNG THE Saw-Mill on French Creek
111 the fall of 1816, within a few weeks of tlie eoiiiiii<j of the Bur-
rell and Day families to Sheffield, Avork was begun on a saw-mill on
Freneh Creek on what is now the James Day farm. Jabez Biirrell,
John Day, and Mr. Deland seem to have been partners in this mill.
Mr. Deland never lived in Sheffield, but came in the fall of 1816 while
they were working on the mill and brought a millwrigiit witli him.
Four men, Jabez Burrell, John Day, Joshua Smith, and the man who
eame with ]\Ir. Deland, worked two months or more on the mill in the
summer of 1817. Can we not pause a moment to think of the pieture
of these men cutting down trees, drawing them together with o.\en,
digging in the banks and working in the bed of the creek in the water
to lay the foundation of their log dam deep and strong — tlie dense
forest all around them and the days growing shorter and coUler ' They
worked until Xovemlier 21st. Tlie average jiriee of a day's work in
1816 was 6 shillings per day, but Joshua Smith received $58 for fifty-
eight days' work on the mill in 1816 and $25 for twenty days' work in
]817. There is no account of sawing until April, 1818.
The mill would no doubt be considered very pi'imitive now, lint it
was of great value in those early days in sawing lum])er for the new
hou.ses and barns; also lumber for making new furniture to replace
that left in Massachusetts. Black cherry was often used for the pur-
pose. There are still highly prized bureaus and tables in Sheffield
made in those days.
In the summer of 1819 John Day built a large frame house not
.standing now, perhaps the first in town. It .stood on the lirow of the
hill between the liouse and the barn of AVilliam S. Day. Tlie great
ambition of the early .settlers was to build for themselves and families
houses as large and comfortaljle as the houses left in New England.
Grist and Saw-IMiel
In the fall of 1823 Charles Cheney Imilt a dam to obtain power for
a grist and saw-mill on thi; I'iver at what is now known as Day's Dam.
This (lam went out in a Hood Ixd'orc tlic buildings wvrv, erected. Later,
in 1821, lOrastiis Ihtcock and Davis llecock became partners with .Mr.
Cheney, ])ut in a new dam and built a grist and saw-mill. Before the
mill was e(iiiiplcled tile llecock brothers buiight out Mv. Cheiiew
148 IIlSTOllY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
Oiie-lialf of this mill changed hands many times until 1847, when
Ei-astus lleeoek and Mr. JJresser .sold to William Curtiss and Wilbur
Cahooii. Jt was bought by William Day and son Sunnier in 1862.
Tiiis grist mill must have been hailed with joy by the young boys as
well as their mothers, tor it had been the custom to send small boys
long distances on horseback with a Ijag of grain on the horse with them
to null. They were often gone two days. William 11. Jtoot and James
Day, in later life, enjoyed compai-ing their experiences on such trips
in their boyhood.
Otiieu Mills
There was a steam sawmill at Globesville that sawed ship plank and
a sawmill on the river opposite the island known as the Birmingham
Mill. The mill on French Creek, after about ten years, was not used
until about 1840, when it was rebuilt and ship ])lank for the Cleveland
market was sawed.
Brick Houses!
Jabez Burrell, Issiac Burrell, Samuel B. Pitch and John Carficld
built bi-ick houses; all of tiiem large, comfortable homes now, after
nearly KM) years. They nuule their own brick and the houses testify
to their good workmanship. The Jabez Burrell house was built soon
after lioI)bins Burrell brought his bride to Sheffield from New Marl-
borough, Massachusetts, ]\Iarch 1, 1825. It has been stated that there
were only twenty families in Sheflield at that time. The Henry Root
frame house was prolnibly Iniilt in 1826.
Settling in a Duck Pond
]\Iilton Garfield was married May 4, 1820, the couple living in a log
liouse until they built the large pleasant home now occupied by their
daughter, Mrs. Julia Root. IMilton Garfield walked from Tyringham,
]\Iassachusetts, with his ax on his shoulder, to Sheffield, in 1815, trap-
ping and liunting; then went back to ]\Iassachusetts, coming again in
181G in th(( sanu' way. When lie came up the river and reached tlie
ridge, he heard someone choj)ping and said to iiis companion, "Go see
what fool has settled in Ibis duck pond," as the woods were a swamp.
It proved to b(( his cousin, John Garfield.
The Kob])ins Huri'ell house was bui'ned iu Decembei'. 1812, in the
(lav tiuu; and was a long lime burning; so neighbors cann; from all
HISTORY OK LORAIN COUNTY 149
(liiT'ctioiis and everything in the liouse was saved, even to the doors,
uiii(h)\vs and tlie iiiaiitcis of the lii'ejihiees. Some ol' the old hi'ick walls
Wire icl'l when the house was iclMiilt and ai'c slill in good condition.
TjIE BuiiUELLS AND IIeCOCKS
Jalu'Z Burrell, Isaae Burrell and James Burrell were 1)rothers, three
out of a family of thirteen ehildren. Tiieir father was Abraham liur-
rell. Three Burrell brothers eanie over from England. One froze to
death, one went baek to England, the thii'd was ancestor of the Sheffield
Burrells. Two children of James Burrell died unmarried. One daugh-
ter married John (Jartield. One son, Alva, died at Green Springs, Ohio,
in 1833, leaving a son, Alva, who died in Elyria a few years ago. He
was the last of the male line in the Burrell family.
Isaac Burrell had only one son, Hiram, and Hiram Burrell had only
one son, who lived to manhood, Isaae ]3urrell, who died in Lorain, the
last in the male line in the Isaac Burrell family. Eunice, daughter of
Isaac Burrell, married Erastus Ilecock. He was a soldier in the War
of 1812, enlisting when a boy from Salisbury, Herkimer County, New
York. Mrs. Ilecock received a pension for many years after his death.
Mr. Ilecock was captain of state militia, then colonel. They removed
to the .southwest part of the town and built a line home. He met a
tragic death August 23, 18G6, while riding with a friend. Both were
instantly killed by a train when crossing a railroad track at Carlisle.
There were two brothers of Davis and Erastus Ilecock, who came
in early times to Sheffield, Rufus and Harry. Rufus was drowned in
Black River when their boat overturned, and was buried in tlie old
graveyard on JMr. Reid's land beside the river. Harry Ilecock mar-
ried Jane, daughter of Isaae Burrell. Ho died with fever in a few
years, leaving two daughters, Hannah, and Iluldali, who married Lewis
Woodruff.
Those who lived on the lots .selected for them until their deaths
were the Burrell bi'others with their wives, John Day and wife, Samuel
B. Fitch and wife, John and Milton Garfield with their wives, Mr. and
Mrs. Oliver Moon, Henry Root, Joshua Smith and Ariel Moore. Doug-
lass Smith left the farm where his father settled, and moved to the
ridge, whei'e Ik; lived the rest of his life on tlie farm now owned by
]\Ir. Minai'd. i\Irs. Mai'tha Hoggs, of Las Animas, (.'olorado, is the only
remainini' child of Mr. Smith.
150 IIISTOItY OK I.()I{AI\ COUNTY
The Root Family
'I'Ik: lioot, riuiiily lived cii^'-hlcfii years on tlu! i'ann near tin: (Jatliolic
(Jhnri-li ami then moved to the lake shon; — William II. Root, to tin: Tarm
now owned liy lii.s son, Orville, and Aai'OJi lioot to the larui next oast.
Ilirani Buri'ell lived all his life on the farm to which he came as a
boy, and Kobbins Burrell was oidy absent from Sheffield a few years
in Oberlin and Elyria.
The Days
John and Cornelia Day lived nearly all tiieir married life on the
farm across the river from the James Bnrrell place. Norman and Julia
Day settled on a lake shore farm soon after they were married, and
tliis was their lifelong home with the exception of a few years in
Elyria.
Kellogg Day went as a teacher in 1840 to the Dwight IMission among
the Cherokee Indians in Indian Territory. Jn 1841 he came back ajid
was married in the State of New York. He I)rought his briiie to Shef-
tield for a visit and then they continued their wedding journey from
Cleveland to Cincinnati b}' canal, then down the Oiiio and Mississippi
rivers and up the Arkansas to Fort Smith; thence, the last sixty miles
to iJwiglit, on horseback, joining the mission family, four months after
their mari'iage. In KSaO they left the mission foi' Deinnark, Iowa,
making the journey in a "prairie schooner" so that tiiey neeel not
travel on Sunday. The journey of four weeks was delightful, in the
beautiful October weather. Denuuirk became theii- permanent home.
The James Austin (Senior) family moved from Sennet, New York,
in 1834, and settled on the farm across tlie river where the tul)e mills
were built a few years ago. This farm and tiie farms where the Ilecock
brothers first settled are now of great value. The Hiram Burrell farm
is covered with railroad tracks and three high-level bridges connect it
with the City of Lorain.
Mr. and Mrs. Arnoki Burrell lived in Sheffield when they first came,
but removed to Elyria Township. They always attended the Sheffield
Churcli. ^Ir. Burrell was a nephew of the Burrell l)rothers. When the
ehurcii moved into their new building in 1852 all the families were
assigned seats which they retained, with a U'W changi's, for many yeai's.
At this time there was, in atldition to the families already mentioned,
many others, among them the Randall, Chapman, Reeves, L. T. Parks,
Woodruff, Carter, Austin, Belden, Swan and Mallory families. Tht;
church was well tilled.
IllSTOUV OK liOlfAIN COUNTY 151
Items About ]'ioni<:ei{s Generally
Liitlicr Hcdortha \v;i.s in Slicriicld as early us 1K2:{ and lived on wliat
was alterwai'd llie Caiij; lai-iii and is jiovv the; 'J'roxler jjlaeo. His
brother, Hiram Hodortlia, lived on tliu Kiden i'anii. lie was in Sliei-
fiekl as late as 1845, but both families had probably moved away before
the chufeh was built.
iMr. and ]\Irs. Jolin Carter came from England as young people,
were married and lived oji the Robbins Burrell farm for live years, and
then bouglit the farm where they lived for nuiny years, now owned by
Frank Caley.
George Crehore, Sr., and his brother, Asahel, came from Survey
Townshij), near Keane, New Ilami)sliire, to Sheffield. Asahel Crehore
died with fever, but the George Crehore family became permanent resi-
dents.
The ]\loore, Faragher, Irish, Case, Podley, Lliller and Hill families
have long been residents of the lake shore. The Caley, Taft, Kane and
Kinney families settled near the center. Daniel Caley and his wife
with six children, tiiree sons and three daughters, came from the Isle of
Man in IHIJO in a small sailing vessel, making tiie pasjsage in five weeks
and three days. They bought a farm in Sheffield, west of the river,
paynig .$7 an acre. This property continued in the possession of the
Caley descendants nearly sixty years, when it went to the Sheffield Land
(/Omi)any.
Two Unsuccessful Institutions
Oberlin College in 183G established a branch school in Shefifield at
the home of Rol)l)ins Burrell. The experiment only lasted one year.
In 1854 or 1855 a farmer's club was organized in Sheftield, with
Richmond Baker, president; L. T. Parks, treasurer, and Lewis Wood-
ruff, secretary. This clul) lu'ld several unsuccessful fairs on William
Day's Farm.
Sllll- Bt'lLDEUS AND LaKE CaI'TAINS
The Lorain ship i)lant has been oidy the continuation of an old
industry. There were several boats built at the Ciirti.ss Mill by .Mr.
Curtiss and ids son-in-law. Captain Dull', one The Alu-v Duff and one
liiat went down tlie St. Lawrenec to the ocean. They were talo'ii down
the river during a flood.
Augustus Jones built a nundxT of boats at Globeville; one Tlie
152 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Globe, gave the place its name. Five boats were l)inlt in Sheffield on the
lake shore; The Juno, at the Wolcott place; The Gladiator and Forest
Maid, at, Lewis AVoodruir's.
Shel'fiehl furnished a nuiaber of lake eaj)taiii8 in early times. Cap-
tain Itoot sailed the lakes ami also crossed the ocean to Liverpool.
Frederic 0. Day was one of his crew. Richard crossed the ocean in
1858 with Captain Smith Moore on the first lake schooner to go through
the canals to the ocean. In 1859 he crossed the ocean from Savannah
to Liverpool as captain, the boat being sold in Liverpool.
Captain Winthrop Randall was a trusted lake captain until his
death. He was taken sick on board his boat and only lived a few days
after reaching home.
Solcn Burrell, oldest son of Robbins Burrell, went on a whaling
voyage to the Pacific Ocean in the early '50s. He was gone several
yeai-s. Soon after his i-eturn, while walking along the street in Mil-
waukee, a brick fell on his head from a building in the course of con-
struction, and caused his death. He was brought back to Sheflield and
his funeral held from the church in October, 1854, the same day that
the funeral of Mrs. John Day was held in the church.
Gold Hunters op 1849-50
Several "Forty-Niners" went from Sheffield to California during
the gold rush— William JMallory from the Sliore, who never came back
except for visits; Henry Garfield, who came back to the old home on
the Ridge, and Wilbur Gaboon, who never came back to Ohio.
Joliij L. Day went to Tike's Peak in .search of gold in the latter
part of the '50s. He returned for a visit and then in 1864 went across
the plains to Helena, I\lontana, accompanied by Henry Fitch, Orville
Root, Daniel Mallory, James Faragher and Charles :\Iaddock. They all
returned in a few years except Henry Fitch. He died in Sheridan,
^Montana.
Judge William Day, Acting Land Agent
After John Day died with fever in 1827, his oldest son, William
Day, who had just returned from New .Orleans wheiv he had spent
seven years, went to (loiineelieut on horseback (o see Mr. Hart and get
iiim to lake back the unsold land in the townsliip, which he did, a])point-
iiiK William Day as his land agriit. l''or lliirly yciii's after this .Mr. Day
was active in selling tjiis land, the Germans buying land together in the
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 153
oast part of tlio township. Judge Hart died soon after he took liack
tile land and his two (huighters, Miss Hetty B. Hart and Mrs. Jai'vis,
were his heirs.
AVilliaia Day kept a stoek of goods in the Hecoek mill at one time
and later had a store on the hill near tlie east end of the bridge at
Thirty-first Street. In 1849 he was associate judge with Hon. Philemon
Bliss.
The Pakks Families
Alonzo Parks, a brother of L. T. Parks, kept a country store at the
Center, near Hiram Burrell's, for a short time. He married a daugh-
ter of John Garfield. They soon moved away. The L. T. Parks family
came from Dalton, Mas.sachusetts, where he was a merchant. They
were related to the Chapman and Randall families.
Sheffield in the Civil War
Sheffield furnished her full quota of men for tlie War of the Rebel-
lion. Among these were Lewis Burrell, Horace Pitch, Simeon Kane,
Alfred Day, Edgar, Stephen, Jackson and Giles Irish, John and Antone
Youngbluth, Prank Deidenck, Isaac and Joseph Taft, the Ilyland
brothers from the west part of the town, and John Bacon. Joseph died
with measles. John Bacon was killed on the battle field at Resaca,
Georgia. Edgar Irish was among the missing. Six of the Ilyland
brothers were killed or died of disease during the war. Edward Root
and Prederic 0. Day served through the war in Illinois regiments.
Dwiglit R. Burrell was a member of the Ohio National Guards and saw
service at Washington, D. C.
]\IiLTON Garfield
For several years before ]\Iilton Garfield was married, he and his
brother Elijah kept bachelors' hall in a log house across the road from
the later home. One night the two brothers heard a knock, and when
the door was opened two Indians stood there. They asked to come in
and dry their clothes. They staid all night, sleeping on the floor before
the fireplace. They said they had killed a i)i'ar on the knoll of the flats
and had left it hanging there. This knoll on the old Taylor place is
still called the "Bear's Knoll." The next day the two Indians hunted
in the North woods, killing two deer and coming l)ack to i\Ir. Garfield's
to slay the second night. Tin; two brotlu'i-s helped them shoulder tiie
I n c
154 IIISTOIfY OK I.ORAIN (.'()II\TV
deer next morning, l)ul, they wondered how they were to carry the bear,
as they said they were going I'or it. Tlie Indian eam^) was at Indian
Hollow.
]\Ir. Garfield hrouglit from iMassachiiselts in a small box slips of liell
pear, Cantield and I5ow ajjples. lie grafted the IJell pear on a thorn
hnsh. All of the slips lived and there ai-e two trees of Bell pear and
a nnnd)er of the Bow apples on the Kidge now. Mrs. (larfield nsed the
small tin box for her tea. Elijali Garfield went ])aek to iMassaeluisetts,
married and died there.
Siikffield's IIistouy, 1865-1015
The following is a synopsis of the paper presenting the history of
.Sheffield for the past fifty years, written liy Mrs. G. L. Cnddeljaek:
For the first part of our last fifty years Sheffield seems to have
dwelt peacefully and serenely, each one treading llie path of hard work
and duty, paying off mortgages or adding more acres to the few just
])aid for. The large and growing families were to be cared for and
their education and careers planned. Schools were just about the same,
except for now and then a teaclier with a new vision and once iii a great
while a .school director l)road-minde(l enougli to let them try it out.
Our easy access to Oberlin lias brought many teachers and iireacliers
of greater ability than is probal)ly allotted to most townships, although
file dear old .saints tired often of being Olierlin's "call' pasture."
At the close of the war, i\laria Hoot and Delia Day left their homes
to give themselves as leachers to the work of the Freeilmen's Bureau,
working at IMacon, Slilledgeville and Andersonville, veritable pioneers
in the great home missionary work of the South, which has grown all
these years into a factor of untold influence.
First Railuo.vd
In 1872 came the C. L. & W. Railroad, cutting off oidy a small por-
tion of the township, but giving to Sheffield residents, as well as Black
River, the vision of a large city, where little Black River then stood.
Dkatii of RonniNs Burrkij.
In 1878 was recorded the death of Robbins Bnrrell. In the winter
of 1S2.'i-24 he taught the only public school then existing in tlie city
of Cleveland.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COIJXTY 155
SlOCOND IvAIMJOAD
In 1KH2 aiiotlicr niilnmd cjuik; lo SlicHicId, lli<; Nickel I'liilc, wilii
J wo .stations, oiiu at Sliuliield siding, and one on the Maddoek road,
called Jjake Jireeze. Cleveland and return was made in one day and
with a great degree of eoml'ort, even it the trains did only run twice a
day.
In 1884 the Lakeside KSunday school celebrated its silver anniversary.
The Center School was invited. Rev. E. C. liarnard gave tiie address,
iMrs. J. Austin a history of the school. The superintendents had been
Win. Day, Sr., jMr. Felch, Mr. Root, Mr. Chapman and .Mr. Austin.
This Sunday seiiool was supported until in 1895 the corporation of
Lorain took in the land upon which tlie schoolhou.se stood and the
buiUling was torn down.
Fatality of Edvvaiu) Buuuell
In 181)1 Edward Burrell of tlie third generation in pos.se.ssion of
this si)ot, met with a fatal accident. 1 quote from an article by his
brother, Howard Burrell, wiio said, "lie had lived on this farm thirty
years, lie was a 'doer of the Word,' just, humane and charitable. The
Sunday morning before the funeral was touching. With the death of
the elders of the community, and the emigration of the childi'en, the
Congi'egational church had dwindled down to six families. Only
twenty-three were out that morning. They could not afford a jiastor and
for two years Edward had read a printed .sermon tiiere to keep up a
service and bind np the remainder."
Woods Leveled for Steel Plant
January 2, 1894, ]\Irs. Henry Studley entertained the North Ridge
and Center Sunday schools at a Christmas tree festival at her summer
iioiiie on the (ilobeville road, and little ilid they realize then that never
again would it l)e a jdeasant place for ])icnics and outings, but I'ather
a liive of industry and iiianufa('ture. In June of tiuit year iiundreds
of men went into these woods and in nine months, by* April 1, 1895, luul
transformed them into a .steel plant of innuense pi-oi)ortions.
In 1895 Sheriield Township schools held graduating exerci.ses in the
cIuiitIi. lOigiit schools were i'e|iresente(l and Mrs. William Day pre-
sided. Slu' is the veteran teacher of Sheffield, having served eighteen
years.
156 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
First Short Line Street Car
The next important event to tlie Shore, espeeially, was the running
of the short line street car, which started Fehruary 4, 1896. The first
car left Lorain at 7 :10 a. m., with sixteen passengers and made the trip
in lOVli minutes. Twenty passengers enjoyed the trip back. Walter
Root acted as conductor. For nineteen years this little "dinkey" has
served as a i)lace to lace shoes and adjust collars and ties for belated
sul)ur]janiles, carried flour, provisions and lumber when mud was knee
deep, and served us at weddings and funerals.
Last of the Day Pioneers
In March, 1896, ]\Ir. James Day died. lie was the last of the pioneers
who came from Massachusetts. |
First Car Over the Electric
In October, 1897, was run the first car over the Lake Shore Electric,
prolialily bringing to tlie Shore, if not to all Sheffield, the greatest con-
venience in llie way of travel it had ever had, and its Soutli Lorain
spur, coming in 1!)()G, was a still greater boon to Shcfliehl Center.
P^iGiiTiETii Anniversary of Congregational Church
In 1898 was celebrated the eightieth anniversary of the Sheffield
Congregational Church. Some of the dear pastors who ministered to
Sheffield's spiritual life have been Reverends "White, AValker, Gough,
Wright, Shaffler (who thanked the Lord always for his right reason),
Delong, Baldwin, Barnard, Deidrich, Kelsey and Iladley, who was the
last minister to live in the ])arsonage. Others, Oberlin students, came
over on Sunday to preach, but had no continued pa.storate. Tiie last
service held in the old church was in 1903, that of the funeral service
of one of Sheffield's sweetest and fairest maidens, Edna Crehore.
There had been for many years a Sunday school at the Ridge school-
house, with Mrs. Garfield, Robert Eberhard, Hubert Day and ]\Iiss Jessie
Garfield as superintendents. Just as the Shore and Center schools were
merged into North and South Lorain Congregational churches, so this
liecanie a part of what is now known as Vincent Church.
Claimed as Founder of Rkral Free Delivery
Russell Walker, besides being a pioneer mail carrier and playing an
iinpoi'tanl pai'f in IIk; life of Sheffield, is beli(.'ved to be the originator of
iriSTOIlY OF J.OIiAIN COUNTY 157
tlu! rural \'rvt'. delivery now in universal use tlii'ou[,'liout llie IJnilod
Slates. After carrying tiie mail to Crandall, .ShelTiidil, Avon Lake and
Lake iin^eze for many years, Ik; ])roi»os(td to the farmers to deliver tlie
mail at their door three times a week for the small sum of $LUO per
year. Tliis mel, with approval and was tried and later hrought daily
free delivery, it was first established February 15, IDOL To the later
marine interests and life, Sheffield has contributed Mallonej's, 1^'araghers,
.Woodruffs and Cases.
Industkial IMattehs
In 1S94 Jessie Garfield, in au article for the Day-Austin reunion,
foretells a great and glorious future for Sheffield as a manufacturing
place, the old church getting so crowded another would have to be built
and electric cars running aci'oss town in all directions, etc. Her dream
as to railroads has very nearly come true. Just at the top of the hill
as you used to go to Day's Mill across the river is the high level and
fill used for road traftic and the Lake Sliore Electric bridge also.
Farther to the north is the bridge of tlie Lake Terminal, the entrance!
to llie tube mills, the Lake Shore and the Lorain & West Virginia rail-
roads. These lines meet just north of the old Carter home, the West
Virginia line crossing the river at the Ridge and curving around by the
Kinney places.
A paper of 1904, at the time of the launching of the sliip Wolvin
at Lorain, says: "It is a long way from the canoe of the Indian and
the 'General Huntington' of 1819 to the 'Wolvin' and it is a still longer
way from these simple craft to the Steamer 'Trimble,' 605 feet long,
carrying 12,109 tons of ore to the steel plant dock and unloading it in
seven liours, approximately handling three tons a minute, and this in
old ShetlHeld.
"Most all of Lorain's groat industrial jilants stand on land that was
formerly Sheffield, but we would not wish it back to lay idle, for tiirough
these mills, she is giving to thousands a ciiance to earn a better living
than tliey ever had before, and to educate tlieir chihlren and nuike of
tliem splendid American citizens. ]*rol)ably one-third of Sheffield's
population is foreign, and 1 mean by tiiis, those from Southern Europe,
not on I' (Jei'man ncigIiI)ors, with whom we have gi'own up."
DiOATIIS OK 1H15-1G I'lONM'.KliS
l*\)llowing ai'e some ol' tlie dates of th(! deaths of tiiose who came into
liie country in 1815-10: Julia Koot Day, 18(39; John Day, 1871 ; Fainiie
158 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUxN'TY
Day Root, 1878; Norinan Day, 1880; Kellogg Day, 1887; William Day,
Sf., 188!); AViJliain Root, Hr., 1889; Lydia Day Kiimcy, 1891; Jaim-s
Day, l8(Hi; lOmiii-C! iJurn;ll Hwock, 1891).
Oraiidrtia Ifandall probably lived to be tlie oldest of any resident of
Sheflield, being ninety-seven years, six months old when she died in
190G.
Four of the original lots are occupied by descendants of these first
settlers, they being two of the Garfields, Hurrell and Day.
Golden Weddings
The golden weddings celebrated by Sheffield couples were William
Day and wife, Asel Taft and wife, Mr. Jacob ]\Ieyers and wife of the
Ridge, Mr. Jacob IMeyers and wife of the German settlement, Lewis
Woodruff and wife, James Austin and wife, and Frank Diedrich and
wife, the last occurring July 25, 1915.
Old Family Relics
Of the articles brought from Massachusetts in 1815 by these pioneers
some things of value and interest remain. A blue silk dress is at the
home of Arthur Austin, a white dress at the home of Professor Wi-iglit,
a mug at the home of Everett Day, the old Day Bible, publi-shed in
1813, at Sumner Day's, and the old red paeony at the home of William
Day, Jr., and a part of that also at the Artliur Austin home in Lorain, a
writing desk of Mrs. Mertou's, an account I)Ook of John Day's and a
telescope at Dow Day's home, while many choice relics are at Shirley
Burrell's home, brought by Abraliam Burrell.
, ■ F.\MOUS N.VTIVES
Of the boys and girls l)orn and brought up in Sheffield, Katherine
Schnitzler has become an actress; Peter Ikmgart has become an expert
in the collection of fossils and has a position with a Canadian company
which is in search of geological and museum specimens. ]\Ir. Bungart
collected and .sold many valuable specimens from our own Black River
banks. This work was started first in Sheffield by Jay Tyrrell, who
built and lived at th(! Lake Breeze; hotel, now known as llii! Lake Bree/.o
dairy farm.
The folh)wing clii)[iing from S. II. Burrell's scrap book, iibout
another Shcfdehl I)oy, Mr. Howard BuiTell, coiirerns tlie most 'uniipu- and
vei'satiie of edilors. He was eily editor of the Cleveland Leader during
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 159
tlie latter clays of the war, but rcsii^'iu'd beeause bis boaltli was shattered.
Jle wa\s a great I'catler aiul read hundreds of books eaeii year. Of Hlief-
tield's d(!seeudeiits, Burrell lleeoek, son of Anna Bell Burrell and Harry
Heeoek, of Cleveland, is reeoguized by the world as one of its greatest
heroes, sacrificing his life trying to save a man and wife froui drowning
at Niagara i"'alls in February, 1912. Prof. G. Fi'ederiek Wright has
done much writing of books and is an authority on scientific geological
research. Helen Cogswell has been an actress of note; E. Dana Durand,
census enumerator of the United States, while many others of Sheffield's
sons and daughters have given time and talent to social service, philan-
thropy, litei'ary club work and different lines of church activities.
^Irs. Cuddeback closed her interesting historical outline with a charge
to the younger generation present. She advised them to take up the
prol)lems of this and the next generation in the same spirit of self-
sacrilice as ditl those men and women of a liundi'ed years ago.
The Gehman Residents
The history of the German residents of Sheffield was prepared by
Miss Mary C. Diederich and in its essential outlines was as follows:
"About 1840 the Germans began to emigrate to the Western Reserve.
They were young and ambitious people, but not largely blessed with
earthly goods. Their coming into a strange country, the language of
which they knew not, and being handicapped with attacks of fever and
ague, maiie the prospect anything but alluring. In all their hardships
they Were kindly helped by their English neighbors, who were ever ready
to help the newcomers. There were people from all parts of Germany,
speaking various dialects, but nevertheless trained to one language at
school. Now, most of these i)eople have l)ecome Anglicized and speak the
English language.
St. Theresa's Catholic Chuhch
"St. Theresa's Catholic church of Sheifield was organized in 1845
by Rev. Peter Greiseh, its first pastor, with a membership of thirty-
three. At the time of organization every member paid one dollar, with
which total amount an acre of land was purchased. Upon this was
l)uilt a log eliurch, 24x;]0 feel, which was occupied until the fianie one
was built in 1H47 at a cost of .$1,500. 'J'he land was bougiit from (Japt.
Aaron K'oot, with the understanding that if he sold the farm lie would
give the purchasers another acre, which he did. Tiie jii-st trustees of St.
Theresa's cliuri'li were -Tolui Miller, Christian i\Iarck, Peter L(tu.\ and
160 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Peter Schneider. Since 1879 a substantial brick parish house has been
erected at a cost of $3,000.
"Early in March, 1908, the frame church was destroyed by fire just
as plans were l)eing made for a new editice. On the following Christmas
tlic liist .services were held in the sul)stantial brick church, which had
been completed at a cost of $15,000. The present membersiiip comprises
forty-five families. The people have tlirived, and while the number of
residents is much smaller, the farms are larger. The good people who
came first and laid the foundations for our present homes are gone.
They braved the ocean's storms and the wilds of the forest that we
might enjoy the' fruits of their labor. May God bless those who helped
to prosper our German people and make Sheffield one grand home, for
the present generation."
Det.mls of the Sheffield Celebration
The celebration of the Sheffield Centennial occurred on August 11
and 12, 1915, at the home of Mr. and INIrs. Harry Burrell. The pro-
gram began on the former day with a launch ride from Lorain, up
the Black River to tlie landing near the Hyer Farm, some seventy-five
or a liundred people enjoj-ing the trip. At the top of the hill, jitney
buses met the people, taking them to French Creek Hollow, where the
program was to have been carried out. The rain in the afternoon pre-
vented the carrying out of part of it, and all were taken to the old
church. The basket picnic was the first thing on the program, 100 or
more enjoying this feature. ]\Ir. Orville Root called the assembly to
order. By the light of one lamp the following exercises were carried out :
The Absent Ones
Letters were read by Mrs. Arthur Austin from Frank Day, Weeping
Water, Nebraska ; Mrs. Laura Day Bullen, Moline, Iowa ; Mrs. Carrie
Walker, Doylestown, Pennsylvania ; Edith Day Allen, Providence, Rhode
Island; I\lrs. Bertha Austin, Cleveland; Mr. Sherod Soule, Hartford,
Connecticut; Mrs. Lydia Fitch, Montana; Mrs. Armin Tyrrell, Alhaml)ra,
California; Mrs. Fannie Au.stin Evans, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Mrs.
Carolyn Cogswell Gardner, Wakefield, Massachusetts; Mrs. Carrie Park
Ames, Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Angie I'aul, Des Moines, Iowa;
Mr. and Mrs. All)ert Caley, Livingston, Alabama; Mrs. Ella Durand
Williams, York, Nel)raska ; Miss Alice Carter, Claremont, California;
Mrs. Sarah Nash, Hopkinton, Iowa ; Mrs. Mary Everard McKinstry,
(!lii('ope(', Massacliusi'lts; Mi-s. Julia Mci'ton, Portland, Oregon; and one
HISTORY OF LORAIX COUNTY 161
I'rom Howard Burrell of Iowa, read by Mrs. Tempa Burrell. Sliort
addresses were made by luaiiy of tlie old time friends, telling of many
tilings of interest which lia2:)pened in those pioneer days. Mrs. Celia
Durand read a paper, ''The Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve."
j\Ir. Asaph Jones sang, "One Hundred Years from Now," thus closing
the first day's exercises.
Historic Program
Thursday, August 12th, the friends assembled on the spacious lawn
of the old Robbins Jiurrell home, where the time was spent in visiting
aiul recalling old time experiences. Six long tables seating fifty each had
been arranged on the lawn and were soon filled by the many people in
attendance. Three hundred were seated at the first tables, while many
others waited their turn. The chicken pie dinner, with all the other
fixings was very much enjoyed by all present. After dinner the com-
pany again assembly.! at the old church, where the afternoon's program
was carried out, Mr. Root acting as chairman. Ray Cogswell gave the
first fifty years of the history of Sheffield, Avhieh had been i^repared by
Norman Day. He spoke of the coming of the first settlers, Capt. Jabez
Burrell and Capt. John Day, from Connecticut in 1815, and the pur-
chasing by them of the townsliip from Gen. Wm. Hart of Saybrook,
Connecticut, and later the coming of Captain Smith and his son Douglas
from Massachusetts by ox cart. The families of Freeman Richmond,
Henry Root, Oliver ]\Ioon, Milton and John (jiarfield, A. R. Dimmick,
Henry Austin and others arrived, some coming by boat as far as Niagara
Falls and then by stage, others by ox carts and many walking. At the
end of the first year in Sheffield the population of the first settlement
was fifty persons. The first white woman to settle was Mrs. Freeman
Richmond, wiio came in Fobruaiy, 1816. Nathan Stevens was the first
magistrate after the town was organized and Captain Smith was tlie
first settler to die, his death being caused by ague and fever in 1817.
Mrs. Isaac Burrell, one of the last of tiie settlers, died in 1860.
The history of the second fifty years was given by j\Irs. G. L. Cudde-
back. Other articles from histories were read by Messrs. Chas. Crehore
ami Louis Bacon. Short addresses were made by Mr. Jesse Lang of
Oberlin, who is now eighty-nine years old, and who taught the fii'st
school in Siicfficld ; Everett Day, Walter Austin and others. Mr. Siiii-ley
.Burrell of Lorain read an excellent pai)er telluig of the first newspaper,
j)riiit('(l July 24, LS2i), wiiich was known us llie Lorain (lazetlc, and its
snbsci'iption price was $2.00 a year, 'i'liis closed tiie pi'ogram lor the
afternoon. Adjournment to the Burrell Farm again took place, where
162 HISTORY OF LOKAJN COUNTY
]\Ir. LeittT of Lorain took a pictiiro of tlu; larj,'!- {,Mtlieriiig, and which
may he bouf^lit uL his sliulio at any time.
All intcrestiiif^ j^iait(; was th(- mifio room, aiwanj^cd in the J'foiit i)ait
of tlie JUirrt'U llonu'stead. Aniony the ivlies were a shawl owned hy
:\lr.s. 11. C. Jiurrell, wiiieh was worn l)y Capt. John Day's wife, when she
eauie to Sheffield, lOU years ago; Jolm Day's silk hat and Judge Day's
silk hat, a bundle of flax, which grew on the Day Farm seventy-tive years
ago; a iiuip of Connecticut, dated 1790; a scarf worn by Leonora Burrell
seventy-live years ago; a dress made in 1790 by Mrs. John Day; a dress
worked by lihoda ]\laria Day in 1811, and a yarn weaver made by the
Shakers and sold to Ilalsey Garfield fifty years ago, and many other
curios.
The pageant which was to have taken place Wednesday evening
was carried out Thursday evening, and began by a dozen little fairies
appearing from a distance, dancing to the music of a graphophone.
Then the music died away and tlie Indians appeared on hoi-seliack.
Halting they started a fire and began getting their vvcjiing meal. Soon
afterward a covered wagon drawn by two horses was seen coming down
the road. It represented the coming of the first family to Slieifield.
The camjifire was started, lighting the whole Hollow. Dancing by many
of the younger and .some of the older ones followed, with music by Mr.
Clark Cox and Mr. Boyd, two of the old tiddlers. This was one of the
happy features of the evening's entertainment. Mr. Jones sang "The
Perfect Day," wiiich closed one of the most successful and interesting
gatherings tliat Siiellield has ever witnessed.
Huntington 's Home-Coming
On Tuesday, August 10, 1915, Huntington held a home-coming cele-
bration that was attended by nearly 1,000 ])eople. Those who had moved
away, members of families who were among the first settlers, mingled
again with those who had elected to remain in the community. It was
a happy reunion time, old acquaintances being renewed and other days
lived over again. The weather was ideal and the hospitality of Hunt-
ington's citizens unbounded. For the time-being, those who had wan-
dered afar, wondered why fate had taken them away from old-time
associates and associations.
The celebration was held on the grounds of the (central School Build-
ing and at noon a basket dinner was .sc^i'ved. There was, however, ample
and generous provision for all liome-comers and visitors. Housewives
vied with each other in adding sul)stantials anil delicaeies to the family
VOL
1I[.ST0]{Y OF LORAIN COUNTY 163
basket, witli tlie result that there was such an abuiulaiiee that supper
was ser\'e(l on the f^rouiids.
Mykon T. IIkuiuck, Nativk Son
Following (liuuer tliei'e was a program oi' addresses, the first being
liy lion. Myi'on 'l\ liei'riek, i'oniier ainliassador to l<'ranc(;. Huntington
is i)rou(l to eiaiiii Mr. ll(;rriek as one of its own. lie was born tiiere and
his boyhood days spent in a eonununity tiiat promised niueli in the early
(lays. ^Mr. Ilerriek's acUlress was largely of the character of personal
reniiniseenees. lla recalled the men who were prominent in tlic place
when he was a school boy, sj)eaking in an appreciative way of wliat it
jiieant to Huntington or any other community to have such men sot
the standards. His boyish feeling of tiiem being great men had not been
outgrown. Among them were cultured men from tlie East, such as Kev.
Ansel Clark, that time pastor of Huntington's Congregational Church.
Otiiers were referred to as shaping the eonununity by the influence of
their unswerving character. ]\lr. Herrick, in speaking of modern con-
ditions, said that "modern motles of travel had made of the world a
m-ighborhood and that it was up to us to nudic it a brotheriiood. "
Hon. J. T. Haskell, of Wellington, was unable to be pix'sent, but
Rev. Mr. Willard, of the .s.ime i)lace, was secured in his slead. Kev.
J\li-. AVillard was for three periods pastor of the Baptist Church of
Huntington but is now living in retirement in tiie nearby town. He, too,
recalled many pleasant instances of liis earlier life in the community,
saying that he liked it so mucli that lie came back of his own free will
the second time, and that the community lik<'d him so well that it
insisted upon him coining hack the third time.
PlJOF. F. 1). Waki)
I'rof. F. 1). Ward, of the faculty of Baldwin Wallace University,
Herea, and a former resilient, spoke with love for and priile in the
eai'ly inslitutions of Huntington. He especially referred to the simple
directness ol' educational iiu'thods ('mi)loyed by some of the teachers
after tiie Civil war. He also spoke of some of the old families. I'ro-
fcssor Ward has (piite recently fitted up the old home in JIuntington,
wilh 1lic idea of uifimately returning lo it.
TlIR HlSTOlUC KKr,SKY ]^.\NI)
A I'eatui'c; of the day was the music furnished by Kelsey's Baud and
Ihe S|)eiieer Band. Tin; foi'mer is u historical iiislitulion and has
1C4 IIIS'l'OliY OF LOliAlX COlJiNTY
licloii^'cd to Iliiiitiii<,'luii as loii^' iis tiicrc iiavc been iiii)' Kelsi'ys in tlio
low II. 'l"lu' lu'lscy JJaiid'^ Wliy tlirre lias hi'i-ii a Ivclscy Band as long
as tin; oldusL settler ean n-iiieiidjer. The Kelsey i'aniily has always \)in:\i
notetl i'or its uiusieal leanings, and tliere are at present six members
in the baail. On this oeeasion the band played martial and patriotic
music almost entirely. Tlie contributions of the Spencer Band were also
apin-eciated. In the morning there was a spirited basejjall game between
the Huntington Giants and the Nova team.
Plans for a Centennial
Before tiie close of the afternoon, plans for organization for the
celebration of Huntington's Centennial were discussed. The centennial
will occur in 1918. •
Not all of the home-coming as enjoyed by Huntington residents had
to do with the past. Old residents, old times, the good old days were
enjoyed in reminiscences and story, but there is another side to the ali'air.
Like many rural communities, Huntington has seen larger jjlaces profit
because of the city-ward trend. Perhaps like many other rural com-
munities, Huntington has been napping, a little, satisfied that certain
things were inevitable. But when a few years ago a very sul)stantial
centralized school building was erecteil at a cost of more than $12,000,
tliere was an unmistakable sign tliat Huntington was stirring herself.
Of cour.se there were those who could not sec the necessity of abandon-
ing .schools already built, and the suliject is still a tender one with some
tax payers. The other side to the story as developed at the home-coming
is that Huntington is slated for progress, and when l!il8 arrives, tliere
is going to be a i)roud recounting of what of the vision has come to i)ass.
The ])r()gram of the hoiiie-coiiiing eiiuiiiei'ates the lollowiiig desirable
things ol' the pa.st and the future: Huntington is making pi'Ogre.ss.
We have centralized schools. We have some stone roads. We will get
more stone roads. The value of property is increasing. We are har-
vesting bumper crops. We want an up to date high school. AVe will
have a modern country chui'eh. We want a grange. We are having
\isi()iis of an ideal community. Our aim is to realize these visions.
Our motto is "Kverybody Boost." Wateli Huntington make progress.
At the evening meeting held at 8 o'clock, there were talks l)y okl
seltlers, music by a mi.\ed (|uai'tet, and a short address by Rev. A. H.
liapking of the IM. iO. (!liurcli on "The Future of lluiitiiigton." liis
talk embodied the principal it^ms as enumerated under Huntington's
progressive i)i'ogi'am, and tended to unite the whole eomiiiuiiity in a
plan for better things. He spoke of "Wellington as having rested upon
IIISTOUY ()!•' IvOlx'AIN COHiNTV 105
1li(! slioiildci's of lliiiitiMfftoii." Time Wiis wlicii ] I iintiii^'ton was tlie
iiiuic proiiiisiiif^ center of i)Oi)uIatioii of the two. Jiiit the promised r;iil-
roiiil wnit lo tlie iici^^lihoriiit; coiiiiiiuiiity aiid niiiin-roiis inhabitants of
IIiintin{.;1on f(jllo\V(;(l it. If Huntington lives u|) to iier future phins,
then; iKM'd Ih; no recurrence of foi-nier cx])eriences. — Elyriii Deiuocrat.
The 1'euky Centennial
Tile centennial coniiiieniorative of the Battle of Lake Erie, Septeiii-
lier ]1), 1S1;{, generally known as the Perry Centennial, einbraet'd ten
states of the ninon and especially appealed to the pati'iotism and enthu-
siasm of the lake i)orts. Lorain Perry lIom(! Week, from .July Lith to
the 20tii, inclusive, will long be reniend)ered as one of the most suc-
cessful public celebrations wliicli lias l)een interwoven with the history
of tile county.
As early as 1911 the (iencral Assembly of Ohio took llie initiative
toward a Perry Centennial, and was followed in the movement by the
legislatures of Pennsylvania, jMichigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York,
Iiliode Islaiul (the native state of Oliver II. Perry), Kentucky, IMinne-
sota and Louisiana. Commissioners were ai)i)(iiiited by the stales, and
by President Taft, for tlie United States, and together they were organ-
ized as tile Inlerslate lioard of Perry's Victory Centennial (!ominission,
witii iicadquarters in Cleveland and Ccorge II. Wortliiiigton, of that
city, as president-general.
Local Particitation
Lorain's enti'y into the centennial movement came wiien W. N. Litll(\
president of tiie Loi'ain I'oard of Commerce, accepted an invitation to
apjiear before the Interstate Commission to determiiU! what cities would
participate in tlie celebration. It was througli ]\h'. Litthi's cITorts befoi'e
tiiat Lorain was given recognition and accorded a jiiace on liie inter-
city program.
Returning to l^orain, ]\Ir. Little referred to the citizeiisliip tlie (|nestion
of whether or not Lorain should undertake to participate. At a meet-
ing of citizens held on June .Ith tlie (luestion was answered in the
afiirmative, and i\li-. Little, Dr. Clia.s. V. Carver and II. K. Ford wei-i?
named to constitute an i',\eeutiv(! (unrMnittee for (U'gani/.ation ])urposes.
A f<;w days lat(;r the executive committee of tlirci; drew ufi the follow-
ing organization : Honorary pi'csidents: M. M. Suppes, W. ){. Tiiomp-
soii and Riciiard Tiicw. Ilonoi'ary vice presidents; Mayor T. W.
Piipc, ,\. ( '. Allen and Thoinas b'atii. I'rcsldeiil, \V. \. i>iltlc. \'ice
166 HISTORY OF I.OKAIN COUNTY
president, ])r. C. V.,Garver. Secretary, II. E. Ford. Treasurer, George
A. Clark. Assistant seeretary, R. Ji. Patin. Executive eonunittO(!: W.
J5. 'I'hoinitson, eliairiiian ; Dr. ('. V. Carver, viee eliaii-nian ; Mayor l*ai)(,",
Ceor-^'e A. (JIark, T. C. Met/<,'er, W. ,). Wright, August Baldwin, E. 1'.
Reidy, E. C. J^aMarelie and R. J. Aspin. J^ater, l)y action of the com-
plete organization, the names of Mr. Little and Ui: Ford were added
to tlie executive committee membership. It was formally decided to call
the 'city's demonstration of July 11^-20, the Lorain Perry Home Week,
action having been taken to combine a home-week celebration with the
Perry Centennial.
Tiii<; NiAGAUA Raisioi) kuom Tiui Lake JJottom
In the meantime at a cost of over $70,()()0, Perry's second flag-ship
in the Battle of Lake Erie, was raised from the bottom of ^Misery Hay
near Erie, where it had lain for a century and restored to a replica of
what tlie ship was as she went into the memorable battle 100 years ago.
Oidy the keel, about half the ribs, and three or four "courses" of tlie
original planking remained as a starting point for the reconstruction
work. Naval experts, assigned to the task of superintending the restora-
tion, conned histories and the navy dei)artment records for data upon
which to work. Old "tar.s," veterans of the days of the.sciuare-rigger
were ((uestioned. When the work had been completed, the Niagara,
down to every pulley block, almost to every spike and nail, was just as
she liad been when she turned defeat into victory 100 years ago.
GiJANi) WkIvCome to the Restcjued Flag.siiii*
July IStli was the great day of the week, as it marked the demonstra-
tion of welcome to the restored Niagara, and strikingly typified the
heroism of tlie younger days of the Republic and, by contrast, the
"bigger Ihings" of the ]>resent. The Lorain Times-IIerald issued an
elaborate "Pci'iy edition" on the Ifitli, from which the following inteivst-
ing paragraphs are extracted:
"Web'omed by the din of whistles and by the clieei's of the thousands
that lincil the wharves of the river and lake, the Niagara, second flag-
shij) of Commodore Perry in the battle of Lake Erie, entered F^oi'aiu
harbor at sboi'tly aftci- -I o'clock ycslerday afternoon.
"Consoi-led by her oflieial escort, the H. S. ships, Wolvei'inc and
Essex, the Niagai'a moved uj) the river cliannel to hei' mooring, ])resi'nt-
ing as siie passed under the sliadows of the sliijjping of modern times,
a striking contrjisl. ()iic huniii'i'd years before she had been the Hag-
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 167
slii|) of a fleet of ijaltlesliips. Yesterday the tii)S of her spars scarcely
to2)pe(l tlie decks of tlie ships slic passed in iier entry.
"A wliite-ehid iiiai'iiie l)aiid on the (h-ck of the fainons shi|) phiyed
pati-iotic airs as she warj)ed to her moorinjr at tlie city dock. Tlie land-
ing dock could not hold all of the throng that had a.sseriihled to sec and
welcome the floating relic of the national triumphs of another day.
Erie avenue iiraul)ridgo along its northern rail was a living ma.ss of
humanity. Along the docks on the opposite side from the landing
place, spectators formed a .solid line. Bi'oadway at its lower end and
water works i)ark each held portions of tiie overflow of crowd. As the
band struck up its stirring lilt, the thousands that watched hurst into
checr.s. Hats and iiandkerchiefs waved a givat welcoming salute.
"On hoard the Niagai'a as she entered the port and docked, was an
official rece])tioii conuiiittec, representing the city ami the Lorain Perry
Home AVeek Association. As an ad.iunct to tlie reception committee,
and adding a touch of historic color, tii(?re was on hoard, also, a band of
Lorain Red IMen, arrayed in full war regalia. Immediately after mount-
ing the Niagara's rail as she entereil the piers, the Red Men were taken
'prisoners' by the reception committee, and were still in humorous
bondage when the dock was reached.
"The rece])tion committee included W. N. Little, ])resident of the
celebration association; IMayor T. W. Pape ; Capt. Richard Thew, chair-
man of the reception committee; IMajor ('. F. Cramer, Dr. A. T. Crills.
Holdeii AVood, J. E. ]\Iooney, R. 15. Patin, Chas. A. Iloyt, C. E. Krantz,
L. A. Dawes, Custer Snyder, AValdo Purcell and C. L. Corts.
"]\Iayor Pape, Major Cramer and xAIcssrs. Purcell and Corts had con-
stituted a committee that went to Cleveland early yesterday morning
and joined the flotilla when it passed that i)ort enroute from Fairport
to Lorain. The remaining meml)ers of the reception committee l)oarded
the Niagara outside the harl)or mouth here before her entry into the
port.
"Towed by the Wolverine, the Niagara arrived outside the mouth at
about 1 p. m. liotli ves.sels anciiored, awaiting tlie coming of the Essex,
which had stopped in Cleveland. ^Members of tlie reception committee
Avho had remained in Lorain were placed on board the Niagara by the
tug E. i\L Pierce. The Essex, upon iu-r arrival, also went to anchor.
The Lorain City Hand alioard the Kssex g.ive a eoiiecrt as the boat w;;:i
being docked.
"At 4 p. 111. the flolilia got under way. As the entry was made, the
Niagara, towed by the tugs E. M. Pierce and Sui)erior, came first,' and
was followed by the AVolveriiie and the Kssex in the nvAi'v named. The
1G8 ITTSTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
vessels were doeked in the order in wliieli lliey entered. After tlio land-
iug liad boon ott'eoted, gang-planks wore put out from tlio Niagara and
tlio oagor spoctators allowed to go aboard for a tour of inspoetion. Presi-
dent Little, aceonii)anied by the inendjers of tbe reeoption committee
and the war-paintod Red Men, boarded in turn the Wolverine and
Essex and formally extended the city's welcome to the respective cora-
manders, Capt. W. L. Morrison and Capt. A. P. Nicklett.
The Niagara, throughout her cruise of lake ports, is in the command
of Ensign G. M. Lowry, U. S. N., who has been specially commissioned
to the assignment. Captain Lowry is in charge of the historic relics
the Niagara has on board.
Perry Relics Exhibited
"The relics mentioned were the battle flag carried by Perry in the
battle near Put-in-Bay and Ijcaring the motto 'Don't Cive up the Ship';
the sword which he wore; his duelling pistols; his commission as cap-
tain in the United States navy, and the sword of ^Midshipman A. Perry,
the fourteen-year-old brother of the commander, who accompanied the
commoilore wlien the colors were transferred to the Niagara. The famous
battle flag is about nine feet sipiare, with a background of closely-woven,
dark blue muslin. The flag was made in the liomo of Thomas Stuart
at Erie, Pa., by Margaret Forster, wife of Thomas Stuart, who was an
officer of the Pennsylvania troops, with the assistance of Dorcas Bell,
wife of Capt. Wm. Bell, Elizabeth Rachel, Mary Theodosia and Catherine
Arn, wives of officers of Perry's tleot. AVhile the vessels of tlie fleet were
being built at Erie, the officers used to visit the Stuart home and on one
of these visits asked Mrs. Stuart to make a flag for them. The words
'Don't give up the ship,' were uttered by Capt. James Lawrence as he
fell, mortally wounded on the deck of the frigate Chesapeake in the
engagement with the British ship Shannon, on June 1, 1813. The flag
flew at the masthead throughout the Battle of Lake Erie.
"Perry's duelling pistols are now owned by the family of the Late
Gen. James Alexander J'erry, U. S. A. They were loaned by the family
for exhibit purposes.
"The commodore's sword is the property of Hon. Perry Belmont, of
AVashington, D. C. Pen-y's commission as ca])tain, signed by Presi-
dent James Madison, is owned by August Belmont. JMidshipman Perry's
sword is the property of the family of the late Gen. Jas. A. Perry."
The other days of the week than that which marked the reception
of the Niagara were interesting, including, as they tlid, civic i)arade.s,
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 1G9
iiKliisli'iiil i)iij,'(')iiit.s, iiviatioii fciil.s, i)OW('rl)Oiit nieos, military cxliibitioiis,
swimming contests, boat laiiuclies iroiii tlie American Sliiphuildiiif?
Company's yards, and speaking liy Governor James li. Cox and otli<;r dis-
tingiiisiied visitors. It is said that on several ot-easions the City of
Lorain entertained fully 2."i,()00 visitors; that is, tlie centennial about
doubled her normal population.
CHAPTER X
GENERAL COUNTY MATTERS
At First, No Educational Fund — Legal Comi^ensation in 1803 —
Actual Land Grant in 1834 — The Western Reserve School Fund
— Progress op School Laws to 1834 — Foundat.k)n op Present
System — The Akron Law and Free Graded Schools — Teachers'
Institutes — Pioneer Schools and Teachers — Mrs. and Mr. Bron-
SON — Schools Founded in 1810-20 — The Strut Street School,
Brownhelm — Pioneer Schools in Elyria and Wellington —
Russia Township Schools — Huntington and Amher.st — First
School in Penfield Townshii' — Present Status of County
P^DUCATioN — The County Infirmary — The County Home for
Children — Superintendents and IMatrons — Aim: To Provide
Permanent Homes — Buildings — Tntellectual and Moral Train-
ing — Past and Present Management — The County Agricultural
Society — First Agricultural Society — Town Fair at Oberlin —
Origin of Good Roads IMovement^ — County Society Founded in
1846 — First Fair — Lecturers Appointed — Ladies' Horsemanship
Introduced — Pure-Bred Cattle — Star Farmers— First Election
— Improvements of Grounds — Early Premiums Dropped — Later
Hi.story of the Society — Population of the County, 1830-1010 —
, Townships and Corpor.vtions, 1010, 1000, 1800 — Electric Iinifica-
TioN IN Lorain County.
The liistory of pui)lic education in tlie Western Reserve is distinct
from that of otlier poi'tions of the Nortluvest Territory covered 1)y tlie
provisions of the Ordinance of 1787; that is, for nearly half a centnry it
did not enjoy the benefits of the educational fund created l)y tliat instru-
ment, for the reason tliat for more tlian a dozen years after it went into
force those who controlled it refused allegiance to the General Govern-
ment whicli hehl jurisdiction throuj,'h tlie ordinance named.
At First, No Educational Fund
The explanation and outcome of this complication — this first serious
conflict. l)etweeii localized and centralized govcriimeut — is lliiis de-
170
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 171
scribed hy Judf^o Boyuton : "Hy tlie ordiiiaiii-c of ('oii<rr('ss of 1785,
it wiis (Iccliircd tliiit Section 1(5 ol" eveiy towiisliip sliould lie I'eservcd
lor tile lUiiinleiiaiice oL" jiiililic schools in tlie township. The Ordinance
of 1787 rcallirnied the i)olicy thus deciai'ctl. The jjrovisions of these
ordinaiices, in this respect, were not applieal)le to, nor operative over,
the rejjion of the Keserve, hecause of the fact that the United States did
not own its soil ; and although the entire amount paid to Connecticut
by the Land Company for the territory of the Jiciserve was set apart
for, and devoted to tiie maintenance of public schools in that State, no
])art of that fund was appropriated to purposes of education here. Here
was an inequalit}' of advantages between the people of the Reserve and
of the remainder of the State, in that respect.
Legal Comi'exsation in 180;}
"This inecjuality was, however, in a measure, removed in 1803 by an
act of Congress, wiiich set apart and approi)riate(l to the Western
Reserve, as an e(|uivalent for section IG, a sul'licient (luantity of land
ill the lliiiled States Military District, to com])ensate for the loss of
that .section to school purposes in the lands lying east of Cuyahoga.
This amount was equal to one thirty-sixth of the land of the Reserve, to
which the Indian title had, before that time, been extinguished.
Actual Land Grant in 1834
''The Indian title to tlie lands of the Reserve west of Cuyahoga not
then having been extinguished, the matter seemed to drop from puhlie
notice, and remained so until 1829. At this date the legislature, in a
]\remorial to Congress, directed its attention to the fact that l)y the
Treaty of Port Industry, concluded in 1805, the Indian title to the land
west of Cuyahoga liad lieen relinquished to tlie United States, and
l)rayed in recognition of the fact that an additional amount of land
lying within the United States Military District should be set apart for
the use of the pulilic schools of the Reserve, and ecpial in quantity to
one thirty-sixth of the territory ceded to the United States by that
Treaty.
"The Memorial ])roduced the desired result. In 1834, Congi-ess, in
eompliance with the i-e(|uest of the Legislature, gi'anted such additional
amount of laml to the Reserve for school purposes as to equalize its
distribution of lands for such purpose, ami in furthei'ance of it.s object
to cari'y into efl'eet its determination, to donate oiic thirty-sixth part of
tile piihlic! doiiiain to the purposes of education.
•»x. Uxili
172 IIISTOriV^ OF LOIJAIN COUNTY
The Wksteun Rkskkvk Sciiooi, Fund
"The lands first allotted to the Reserve for sueh purpose were situ-
ated in the counties of Holmes and Tuscarawas, and in 1834: were sur-
veyed and sold, and the proceeds arising from their sale, as well as
the funds arising- from the sale of those subse(iuently appropriated,
were placed and invested with other school funds of the State, and
constitute one of tlie sources from which the people of the Reserve
derive the means of supporting and maintaining their common schools.
This fund is called the Western Reserve School Fund."
Progress op School Laws to 18.34
In tlu; meantime, great progress had been made in the establish-
ment of a real system of public education, not depending on the uncer-
tainties of private subscription and voluntary sujjport. That the schools
were maintained as well as they were in the struggling days of pioneer
settlement was highly credital)le to the intelligence, and often generosity,
of those wlio l)rought their families into the western wildei'ness, or
reared them amid such surroundings. The State Constitution of 1802
rcjieated the educational clause of tlie Oi-dinance of 1787 aiul made it
the duty of the Legislature to carry out its intent. At first the school
lands were only leased, and many abuses and scandals arose tlu'reliy. In
1821 tlie iirst law was passed levying a tax for the support of the public
schools; authority was given, but the levying was not made obligatory
until 182.5, which measure also provided for the appointment of school
examiners. The law of 1821 also authorized the division of townships
into school districts and the election of district school committees who
miglit erect schoolhouses. In 1827 tlie state abandoned the policy of
leasing the school lands and made provision for selling them and invest-
ing tlu! proceeds. As fast as the lands were sold, the ])roceeds were paid
into tlie state treasury and the state pledged itself to pay 6 per cent
interest perpetually, such interest being annually distriliuted among the
vai-ious townsliijis and districts for scliool purpo.ses; as a matter of fact,
1lie fund is borrowed by the stat(? and tlie aniuuil interest is raised by
taxalioii under tlie law of 1825.
FoiTNDATION OF PRESENT SVSTEM
'IMuis file iirojjer machinery foi- the- founding of a system of ])ublic
ediieation was beinpf provided, luit, as a wliole, Ihe Western Reserve was
not placed on a par as to jiarliciijatioii in tlie j)ublic school fund until
IIIHTOIiY OK J.OKA IN (JOIJNTY 173
18;U. \jy 1838 the state eominoii school fund had reached $200,000;
was mliiwd la $150,000 in 1842; raised to $300,000 in 1851, ami
abolislicd in 18r)3, wiieii tlie entire systi-ni of j^eiiei'al taxation i'or seliool
])uri)Oses was revised and tlie loundation of the present plan adopted.
The Akhun Law and Fkee (Jiuded Schools
In Lorain County, as in other progressive sections of Ohio, the
system of free graded schools developed from the famous measure
known as the Akron law of 1847. Througii its provisions that town
was organized into a single school district controlled by a board of six
directors, who were authorized to establish primary schools and a central
grammar scliool and take all the practical steps to employ teachers, erect
buildings and purchase api)aratus. In 1848 the provisions of that
comprehensive law were extended to otiier incorporated towns and
cities. A general law was passed in 184i) ena])ling any town of 200
inhabitants to organize as under the Akron law. It furtiier provided
for the establishmejit of an adeciuate numl)er of pi'imary schools, con-
veniently located; a school, or schools, of higlier grade or grades; for
the free admission of all white children, antl that the schools nuist i)e
kept open not less than thirty-si.x weeks in each year. The general law
of 184i), growing from the Akron measure of 1847, founded tlie .system
of free graded sciiools for every county in Ohio.
Teacheus' iNs'rrruTEs
In 1845 the first Teachers' Institute was held and in 1848 a state
law was i)assed providing for the appro[)riation of money in each county
for the purpose of having such institutes conducted. In Decend)er, 1847,
was organized tlie State Teachers' Association, which has held annual
meeliiigs in Lorain' County as follows:
Pioneer Schools and Teach eks
As a rule, the people who first .settled in Lorain County wen; men
and women with children, or, at least, potential parents, and the pi'imi-
tive log selioolhouse, or the little class of scholars gathered in the cabin
lioiiie, followed closely tlie eoiniiig of the pioneers. Cliiireli and sc'hool
and home were the solid triangle of the New Lngland civilization which
they brought with them.
We cannot more than mention, at this point, a few of the faithful
teachers of the siibsci'iplion schools which were taught in the pioneer
reb t^lO'
'J ;<;i.i ..I 111
.'d
174 JILSTORY OF J.OKAIN COUNTY
period of tlie county as the predecessors of those sujjported by tlie i)nblic
scliool fund or general taxation.
Mlia. ANU Mh. Jil£(JNHON
The first school in the county was tauglit in the sunnner of 1808 by
]Mrs. Bela Bronson, wife of one of the original proprietors of Columbia
Township, who, with her husband and child, and three others of tlie
Waterbury (Connecticut) Colony, journeyed from Cleveland during
the previous year and had just commenced family life in a brand new
log liouse. Two other fainilies had arrived witii several children of
scliool age and tlie young teacher had every reason to believe that moi'o
would follow. This Hist school in the Jironson shack was conducled
with comparative comfort in suninier, but in the winter of 18()'J-10 Mr.
JJronson decided to take a hand himself as an educator, and taught a
class in a blacksmith slio]), with all the heat the woril implies.
JSCUOULS FOUNUKD IN 1810-20
In the fall of 1810 a colony of about twenty people migrated from
Waterbury into Kidgeville and not long afterward a log schoolhouse
was Itiiilt near the center of the town. There the children of the settle-
ment were taught until the building was burned, in 1814.
Sheffield and Grafton filled up quite rapidly during the early years
of their settlement, and schools were taught as early as 1818. iMiss .Mary
Sibley, the pioneer teacher in (irafton Township, gathered a class during
that year in a log cabin built for the purpose near the residence of
Capt. William Turner, who had come into the township in 1817 among
its pioneer settlers.
A schoolhouse was also built near the center of Avon Township, in
1818, ami Larkin A. Williams, the townshij) elerk, was the teacher. It
was then Troy Township.
To this period, or a little later, lielongs the la])ors of i\Irs. William
Alverson, wife of one of the men who accompanied Col. Henry J^rown
from ]\Iassachusetts to Brownhelm Township, in 1816. About three years
afterward Mr. and Mrs. Alverson were living in a house of their own,
and a number of families, comprising the usual large quota of children,
had located near them. So the hou.sewife gatliered the children of the
neighborhood and oi)ened the first school of the township in her own
house.
TiiK Strut Stukkt School, PjitowNdioLM
In llie fall of 181!) (|iiile a sizable log sclioolhouse was built on Iho
brow of the hill in the Hrownhelm settlement; the sti-uctiire was IS by
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 175
22 tVet. lint it was so pretentious that tlie thoroughfare on whicli it
stood was (liil)h('(l Strut Sti'cct and retained tlie name for many years,
(ii'andison l-'airchild taut,'lit the school the iirst two winters, reeeivin(^ his
tuition in elioj)j)iiit,'. Money was very seareci in those days, labor and
produee being usually employed in the exehange of values. I\lr. Fair-
ehild eouki teach better than he eould chop ; as he )ieeded some chopping
done, and could not get money with whieii to hire choppers, he acted
aecortiingly.
PioNELUi Schools in P]lyi{ia .\Nn Wkllington
The first school in Flyria was organized in ]81!J in a log house on
the hill, on the ea.st side, and in 1827 the well known Yellow School-
house was built on the site of the present opei'a house.
In the spring of 1820, Caroline Wilcox, daughter of one of the original
colonists who came from Berkshire (Jounty, -Alassachusetts, to settle on
the site of the future Village of Wellington, opened the first school in
the township in the house of John Clifford, a fellow pioneer. She con-
tinued to teach until a log schoolhouse was ei-ected on the site afterward
Occupied by the American House. The school was closed with a grand
exiiibition, said to have been the first entei'taimnent of the kind given
west of the Cuyahoga.
Mi.ss Julia Joimson, daughter of Phineas Johnson, one of tlie first
settlers of Carlisle, was a ])ioneer teaciier in that township, as well as in
JOaton and Elyria. She sub.se(|uently became the wife of Edmund West
and resided at Elyria. She taught .several years during the early '2()s.
Russia Township Schools
The early settlers of Russia Township, from 1817 to 1822, located in
its northern, especially its northwestern, sections and not long after
they colonized, sehoolhouses were built near the houses of Eber Newton
and Alonzo Wright. Settlement in the southern i)ai't of the township
and the founding of Oberliii College came a iunid)er of years later.
Huntington and Amherst
Tluntingtoii, in th(i far southei-n i)art- of the county, was early entered
in tlie list of seliool communities. ]ii 1822, during the year of the town-
ship's formation, a schoolhouse was built and during that scjisoii Miss
Lovinia jjoveland taught foiu'teen scholai-s, some coming a distance of
two miles tliroiigh the woods. \Ui{ lliaf was nolliing unusual; tlie boys
176 UlSTOliY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
and girls of those days had to work liard for their education, as did
tlieir elders for everything of value wliieh they eaiiie to possess. Sehool-
iii}^ was a foretaste of Uiose liardcniiij,' times during winch nothing eaiiie
easy.
Sehoolhouses were huilt at an early date in both the north and south
parts of Amherst Township. ISophronia JJlair taught a i)ioneer class on
the south ridge, and there was another early school just beyond the
corporation line of the present village, but then known as the Corners.
Miss Fannie Barnes, later ]\Irs. David Smith, taught at the latter school
in the summer of 1823, and afterward Miss Philania Barney, who became
j\Irs. S. N. Moore, was a teacher in the same log building.
First School in Penfield TowNyiiii'
About tlie time that these first Amherst schools were coming to life,
Pentield Township families were subscribing for the services of JMiss
Clarissa Rising as a teacher of their tender offspring. Calvin Spencer,
one of the first land purchasers, who first came with Peter Penfield on a
prospecting tour in 1818 had erected a house in 1821, and donated it to
tile community and to Teacher Rising. Therein the first, school in the
township was opened, and in 1828 a special log house was erected for
educational purposes. The winter term in the new building was taught
by George R. Starr.
Present Status of County Education
Many years ago the schools of the county outgrew the primitive
sehoolhouses, apparatus and methods of teaching wliieh were prevalent
in the da^'s when such faithful men and women as those mentioned
labored in the field of pedagogy, •^'illage, townsiup, city and state have
all combined to give Lorain County all that is modern and progressive
in educational forces, from the elementary schools to the high schools'
and colleges. Among the higher institutions of learning and moral
uplift, Oberlin and IMount Union colleges will compare favorably with
any similar institutions in the state; so that no student need go outside
tlie limits of the county to acquire a thorough, safe and lilieral education.
The present County Board of Education is as follows: Robert G.
Iiigicson, Avon Lake, j)residciit ; (Miarles T. Jamieson, Wellington, vice
|)r('si(l(Mit; M. C. Keiideigh, Amherst; F. II. Bronson, Kipton ; I. N.
llavcii, I'llyria. W. A. liiseox is cDUiily sii|)i'rint('Mdent, willi head-
(|iiarl('rs at l']lyria, and fi'om him we obtain the following statistics
showing the general condition of the schools under the control ol" the
:♦ ^c ?{t
•*H' tft t«»''t "mn *')•> j'wx-
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 177
county board, of which he is the chief executive: Enrolment in the
county system, 5,]4r); numhei- of school buildings, 122; value of school
I)i'oi)(;i'ty, jfi-'jOO, ()()() ; iuiml)cr of teachers, 200; number ol' distfict supijrin-
tcndcnts, 8.
The Lorain C^ounty Teachers' Institute is conducted under the
auspices of the County Board of Education. The instructors of that
held in the fall of 1915 were Dr. S. C. Schmucker, of the State Normal
School, West Chester, Peiuisylvania ; ]\Iiss Edna Joseph, East Liverpool;
Griffith J. Jones, Lorain, musical director; Laura Krautter, Lorain,
pianist.
The teachers of Lorain County have been holding an annual Teachers'
Institute for many years past. The 1915 session was held August 28-Sep-
tember 3, 1915, in the auditorium of the new technical iiigh school build-
ing, Elyria, Ohio. This was the first ses.sion of the institute held since
the new high school building was completed. The institute enrolled
To men and 367 women, making a total of 440. Tiiis was the largest en-
rollment in the history of the county. This was pronounced one of the
best institutes which the teachers of Lorain County ever enjoyed. The
institute for 1916 will l)e held in Elyria, August 28th-Septeud.)er 1st.
The County Infirmary
The Lorain County Infirmary is a large modern building erected and
developed for the care of the poor, its founding and expansion covering
a period of fifty years. The institution, with its grounds of over a
quarter section, is located in Carlisle Township, two miles west of Elyria.
The infirmary was founded under tiie following circumstances: On
March 17, 1866, Tabor Wood, George Clifton and Reuben Eddy, county
conunissioners, purchased of Joseph Swift, Jr., 170 acres of land in
Carlisle Township for an infirmary farm, for which they paid $10,500.
On January 8, 1867, the contract for the erection of a suitable building
was awarded to John Childs, of Elyria, and Samuel C. Brooks, of Cleve-
land, for the sum of $37,500. The structure was accepted by the com-
missioners September 10, 1868, and the builders, on account of extra
work, were paid $1,000 above the contract price. As completed, the main
building was 123 by 46 feet, three stories high, and in its center and
rear was a wing, 32 by 75 feet, two stories high — the entire structure
containing 120 rooms. Althougli tiie first inmate was i-eceived on Decem-
ber 1, 1868, the origiiud buildings were not entirely completed and
furnished until thi'ec! years had passed.
The growth of the county's po|)ulation and the increase in the number
of the ])Overty-striekeii seeking admission, forced an extension of accom-
178
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Miodations, Jiiul liiially, in 1!J()5, lioiids vvt're voted for the erection of a
iiiodcni adilitioii. It was completed, in tlio following year, at a eost of
about .+8,500.
Tile county iiilii'iiiai-y, as it stands today, is rcpi'eseiited Ity a sub-
stantial, modern and well-l)uilt jtlant, loeateil on a liij^li ;nid dry site.
The fai'in is all tilled, and, with buildings, stock and machinery, is valued
at ovei- $97,000. The water supply and means of fire protection are
furnished by a water tower eiglity feet high, with a capacity of 15,000
barrels. Fire plugs are distrilnited throughout the grounds. Electricity
W! J
Loli.UX CoTNTV Ixi'IK.MAUV
sujiplics the lights aiul power for laundry machinery cream separator,
etc. There are about 100 inmates at tiie infirmary, three-fourths of whom
are men.
The first superintendent of the Lorain County Infirmary was Tabor
Vincent, wlio served until his death in ]\Iarch, 1S7G, when he was suc-
ceeded by Iliraiu Patterson. He was followed by Levi JMorse and
Addison Blanchard, each of whom served three or four years. The
definite records commence with C. E. Cooley as superintendent, who had
active charge of the infirmary from June 1, 1889, to November 1, 1893.
His successors were Dell Johnson, who .served from Novend)er 1, 189.'J,
to l\larch 1, 1908, when the jjresent superintendent, Judson (i. Starr,
took oflice. His wife, Sadie i>. Stan-, is matron, and \)v. C. E. French is
physician.
The first directoi's of the inlii'iiuiry, a|»pointcd by flic board of com-
missioners in 18()8, wi're Isaac S. Metcalf, Samuel IMund) and [;Ucius
.^^T>tw«I«tajMW*W-
IIFSTORY OF I.ORAIN COIINTY 179
Ilt'iTick. Those now .serving' (January, 1!)1G) arc AV. J. Ilillior, Klyria;
A. K. JIalc, OluTliii, and Oscar (;. Diiiiii, also of lOlyria.
Till': County IIomio Foit (Juiij)i(iCN
Tlic Lorain County Cliildrcn's Home, in the eastern edge of Oberlin,
wliich cares on an average for sixty dependent cliildren under eighteen
yeais of age, is an institution wliicli is an honor to the founders and the
inanagciiicnt. Prior to the hegiiniiug and organization of an institution
for tlie care of dependent children in Lorain County, philantliropic
residents of the county iiad conferred together frc(|Uently respecting
such an undertaking, and finally tlirougli tlie earnest ell'orts of Rev. F. C.
KIdred, of Klyria, tlie (|uestioii came before the voters for tiicir opinion,
and (he movement was endorsed at a special election held in Aj>ril, 1H!).S,'
hy a majority vote of U.'!, thus giving the county conniiissioncrs power
(o j.rocccd with locating and building a county children's lioine.
Col. J. W. Steele, of Oberlin, took up the matter of location for the
home, and ])rought it before the people of Oberlin through the board
of commerce, who .secured from the Village of Oberlin certain concessions
should th(! home be located there.
The board of conuni.ssioiier.s, consi.sting of A. 15. Hayes, F. K. Criffin
and IL A. Durkce, had several i)ieces of i)roperty otfeivd, and aftci- due
consideration selected the present site, one mile from the center of
Oberlin Village, consisting of fifteen acres on the extreme eastern villa-'c
line of the town, and boumled by College, Crosby and Lorain .strc.-rs,
with a street to be opened on the western side of the grounds, giving
amj)le room foi- buildings, play grounds, lawns and garden. The ovUmrdl
eo.st of the land was $;:l,67r,. The architects .selected were Lelimairaud
Schmilt of Cleveland, and their plans were ado])ted and the contract for
the buildn.g of four .separate brick houses was given to a Columbus con-
tractor, who faded before completing the buildings. His bondsman
Robert McClure, continued and finished the work in lS!)i) The entire
cost including grading of grounds and drilling for gas, amounted to
SuPERINTE.N'nENT.S .\Nn I\IaTR()NS
^Ir. and Mrs. II. 1'. Kennedy received their ai),)ointments as sui)er-
>"<-'"l''"t and matron, rcspectivly, before the buildings were completed
or furnisla.d; they began their service July 1, l!)()(), „nd continued it
tor live years and four months, when they were sucre,.led by the presimt
".eumbents, Mr. and Mrs. (.'corge A. Moslu-r. The (iisl endeavor of the
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 181
managt'ineiit was to get the rooms prepared for the reception of children,
wliicli was doiu', teiuporaiiiy, permanent acconmiodations l)eing after-
ward jxTfcclfd. The iiist inmates wei'e three chihJren committed Ity the
inlirmai-y directors, who came on Ani^ust -i, 1900. The first year fifty-
one ciiihiren were received, and during the period of Mr. and Mrs. Ken-
nedy's incnmhency, 201 ciiildren were cared for. JMost of those had
Ijoth parents living, a few were half orphaJis, and eight only had lost both
l)ar(iits. (jicncrally speaking, the division of labor between the superin-
ti'udciit and the matron is that the former regulates the conduct of the
inmates and instructs tiiem in out-of-door work, wliile the matron keej)S
them clean, looks after their food and health, teaches them tlie domestic
virtues; in fact, mothers tliem, which carries to all a world of meaning.
Aim: To PH()vn)E Permanent Homes
From the first it has been the aim of the management to provide the
ciiildren with permanent homes as soon as those can lie found adapted
to individual temperaments and wants. In tlie meantime tliey are fed,
clot lied, educated and trained to be a credit to any households which
may ado])t them. "Where there are persons who have a legal right to
the possession of a child, they are re(iuired to sign a paper giving the
trustees of the home entire control until the child reaches the age of
eighteen. The children are placed on trial for two or three months.
Jf, a Tier such a test, the child gives satisfaction and if the home proves
to be such as the child needs, the stay is made permanent, by adoption
or otherwise; but if all is not satisfactory, the home recalls the child.
The conditions under which children are placed in families are as
follows :
1. That the applicant be of good moral character, and furnish satis-
factory rtd'ereiices and recommendations.
2. Tliat the children be given a fair trial, and if not suited, to be
returned within sixty days.
'i. That they be kindly treated, comfortably clothed, given medical
attendance \vhen necessary, and be protected from evil examples and
immoral influences.
4. That they be given not less than five months' schooling each year
and that they be )'ci|iiiiT(l to attend church and Sabbnlli school when
possililc.
5. That they be fi-ee ;it eighteen years of n^v, and receive a good
out lit of clothing and a bounty of from $50 to .+200.
No child (tan be r(;turned after the expiralion of the time for triid
/)h'A()A '•]f' Y:!'i':'c!:
182 lilSTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY
willioi'.t K'ivin<>- due notice, stating reasons in writing,', and obtuiaing the
eonseJit oi.' the majority of tiie board of trustees.
(Jliiklren may bi; visited onee a year or ol'tener by some one authorized,
and the riyiit ol' recalling' a child at any time when its welfare demands
it, is reserved.
The majority of the inmates of the Lorain County Children's Home
are of foreign nationality, principally Poles, Hungarians, Slavs, with
a few Irish, English, German and. Americans, including colored. They
are sent largely because of the drunkenness or inlidelity of parents;
some because of the death of father or mother, or both, and others on
account of sickness, i)overty and want of employment. They come
largely from Lorain and Elyria, a, few from Oberlin and Wellington
and fewer still from the surrounding country. No child is accejited who
has not resided in Lorain County for at least a year.
Buildings
In the cai'rying out of this most commendable work ade(iuate and
tasteful buildings and beautiful grounds have been provided. Tiie main
building is a two-story, pressed brick structure, the front of wiiich is
used for trustees' office, and the su])erinten(lent 's home; in the rear are
the dining rooms for children and family, as well as the kitchen and
])antry. The nursery dormitory and sleeping apartments are on the
second floor, with a large attic over entire building. The two siile build-
ings, connected with the main building i)y ai'ches ai'e used for ilormi-
tories; the one on the west of main building for girls and on the east for
hoys. There is sleeping room for about sixty-five children in the three
dormitories. Both buiUlings are conveniently arranged with toilet and
bath rooms. A room for school purposes is located in the boys' building
and a similar room for kindergarten work in the girls' building. Large
attics ovei' both are used for play rooms in .stormy weather.
A i)rick .structure for laundry j)ur])Oses is located in the rear of main
building. With two gas wells the i)lace is furnished with light and gas
enough for cooking and laundry work, and also for partial heating. The
main heating is by furnace and steam. Obei'lin Village furnishes water
and sewer privileges without charge. The grounds ai'e attractively
adorned with handsome shade trees, shrubbery and flower beds with fine
lawns, a lily jxmd, a fountain, stone walks and drives.
Outbuildings consist of barn, carriage and tool house and j)oultry
houses, 'j'he garden furnishes vegetables in season including most of
the potatoes used. An acre or two of ground has been planted with fi'uit
trees consisting of apples, pears, j)lums, peaches aiul cherries, with small
'^ '.K '■>'[' e'.ii'i
IIISTOUY OF LOKAIX COIJXTY 183
I'ruits, sucii as currants, berries and grapes, which in time will aini)ly
supply the home witli ahumhint fruit.
'i'lie Ch'vchiiKl & Soutliwestorn troHcy line passes tlie home, allording
easy communication with the outside world.
JxTKLLECTU.Uy AND I\IulUI. TrAIXING
A school was started and a teacher employed in liJOl. This continued
until the fall of li)(.)8, when it was deemed I)est to send tiie childivn to
the Oherlin schools, where they have advantages which cannot be given
them in an ungraded scliool. It also gives them the opportunity to
mingle with other children in study and play as eciuals, thus breaking
up their in.stitutional life.
School work for the youngest children is i)rovided through the Kinder-
garten Association, who sentl their nonnal students during the college
year to instruct anil anuise them.
A Sunday school at the home is mainfained and cared for by the
Y. 'M. v. A. of the college and has been of much benefit. The children
are taken to the Oberlin cluirches fretiuently.
Through lAIrs. O. F. Carter, the Xon-Parti.san W. C. T. II. has organ-
ized a junior temperance society amongst the children and has given
them instruction along tempei'ance lines.
Past and Present Manage.ment
The following are the names of the commissioners who have served
during the life of the home: A. B. Hayes, F. E. fJriffin, 11. A. Durkee,
C. K. \Vilson, J. M. Jayeox, II. C. Wangerein, E. M. Kemp, R. C. Ilage-
man, Z. R. Parsons and II. F. Arndt.
The trustees appointed by the conunissioners have been : J. AV. Steele,
of Oherlin; S. B. Day, Elyria ; W. J. Krebs, Pentield ; A. II. Bahcock,
Lorain; O. F. Carter, Oberlin; Frank Young, Lorain, and J. F. Ran-
dolph, Oherlin. Of the trustees mentioned, IMessrs. Steele, Carter, Bab-
cock and Day have died during the life of the home.
The I)oard of trustees now in service eonsi.sts of Dr. Frank Young,
Lorain; J. F. Randolph, Olterlin ; AV. J. Krebs, Penfield, and Ceorge E.
Hill, of Elyria.
Tjie County AciKicui/ruijAL Society
Both Elyria and Oberlin claim the credit of starting the original
movement which culminated in the Lorain Co\inty Agi'ieultural Soeietv.
184 lllSTOUr OF LOKAIN COUNTY
The Oberlin champions do not deny that tlie first fai^, largely a stock
sliow, was held early in 1S3S on the eoiiiinon just oast of tlie Beebe House,
on tlie ])res(!iit site of lOly Park. They also admit that $00 was awarded
as ])i-ejiiiums upon cattle, horses and articles of various kinds upon that
occasion, and tiiat several fairs might have been held at the couuty
scat before any were organized at Oberlin.
FiHST Aguicultuual Society
On the otiier hand, the first formal organization of those intei'ested
in things agricultural in Lorain County Avas the society formed in 183'J
by the faculty, students and colonists of the Collegiate Institute and the
Village of Oberlin ; the time, about five years after the founding of both.
The society held weekly meetings at which essays were read and dis-
cussions arranged on various subjects pertaining to agriculture for not
only residents of the village, but tile management of the college had a
])ractical interest in the sul)ject, as the very existence of both, in tlie
earlier years, depended largely on the successful tillage of the soil.
Town Fmh at Obeklin
For many years town fairs were also held at Oberlin. In a small
sheet called the People's Press, issued from the college town in October,
1845, is published an account of the fair held that year. There was an
address by Professor Kirtland, of Cleveland, and in the evening Dr. N.
S. Townshend, President Malum and Professors Cowles and Fairchild,
of the college, delivered speeches. The opening address by the president
of the society is given entire in the paper. At tiiis meeting a plowing
match was held, and cattle and other stock competed for premiums.
Professor Cowles was chairman of the committee on plowing.
Origin of Good Roads ]\Iovement
Largely through the efforts of the Oberlin Agricultural Society and
the i-egular county organization ])eri'ected in lH4fi, the roads between
the college town and the county seat were iiiaile passable at (piite an
early day. M'lie movement for good roads originated in the $:{()() sub-
scribed by the Oberlin colonists and the $400 raised l)y the faculty and
students to imi)rove them. On a certain day, recitations being
suspended, all turned out and worked on the road leading to Elyria. The
young ladies provided the men with a bountiful dinner. So that, in
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 185
more ways than one, did Oberliii College strive to inculcate tlie healthful
and democratic hcjnclits of well-directed labor.
County Socikty Foundkd in iy4G
The final movement which resulted in a county agricultural society,
however, centered in Elyria, and to Dr. N. y. Townsiiend, of that place,
is given the largest share of credit for its establishment. On April 21),
1846, nearly sixty residents of the county intei^ested in the enterpri.se
met in Elyria to organize a county society, under the act for the
encouragemejit of agriculture pa.ssed by the State Legislature on Feb-
ruary 27th of that year. Judge Josiah Harris, of Amherst, was called
to the chair and Doctor Townshend was appointed .secretary. As eighty-
eight names were enrolled as applicants for member.ship and $80 sub-
scribed for current expenses, an organization was legally effected by the
election of the following board of directors: Joseph Swift, president;
Daniel B. Kinney, vice president; Artemas Becbe, treasurer; A. H.
Redington, secretary; Henry Tracy, George Sibley, Edwin Byington,
D. T. Baldwin and T. W. Osborn, managers.
Two members from each township wci-e appointed to solicit sub-
scrii)tions and to generally promote the society, and as they were the
representative farmers of that early period their names are given:
H. Jirownell and J. C. Bryant, Andierst; Uriah Thompson and Elah
Park, Avon; C. Read and Samuel Stocking, Black River; Hosea Dunbar
and P. S. Goss, Brighton; C. L. Perry and Jolni Curtiss, Brownhelm;
Hiram Allen and Gideon Waugh, Camden; R. Gibbs and C. Prindle,
Carlisle; S. Reed and B. B. Adams, Columbia; James Firlas and 6.
Spei'i-y, Eaton; D. Ncsbitt and Festus Cooley, Jr., Elyria; A. S. Root
and Thomas Ingersoll, Grafton; Hervey Leonard and Levi Vincent,
Henrietta; Henry Tracey and IL P. Sage, Huntington; N. P. Johnson
and H. Hubbard, Lagrange; William Andrews and Lewis Starr, Pen-
field; P. lAIcRoherts and E. Matchem, Pittsheld; Otis Ik'ggs and L.
Beebe, Ridgeville; John (Joiumt and M. L. Blair, Rochester; H. C.
Taylor and Doctor Da.scom, Russia; William Day and AVilliam H. Root,
Sheffield; Harvey Grant and J. AVad.sworth, AVellington.
First F.vnt
The meeting adjourned to reassemble at the courthou.se May i:{tli to
fix premiums and transact any other I)usiiiess. AVlicn tlie society did
meet at that date and place it was 7'esnlv(!d that a fair 1m- held at Klyiia
on WedncNday, Seplember :i(l, IHKi; Ihat George Sibley, 1'. Mch'obcrts,
18G lllSTOIiV OK I.OUAIN (BOUNTY
Ilai'iy Tci'ivU and K. Saiidi'i'soii he appointed to examine farms and
cfops; that the hnlics of llic coiinly he inviled to maniil'aetnn! useliil
ailii'h's lo he (l()iialc(| Id (he Mocicly; that they hohl a I'aif on the al'lei'-
iioon and cvcnin",' oi" the tlay of exiiihilion, and tiiat all eitizens l)e
re<iue,sted to bring ehoieu speeimens of frnit uiul flowers and manu-
faetureil artieles, to ho oti'ered for sale at the hulies' fair, for the heuefit
of the soeiety.
Tile next meeting' was held at Oherlin August 2U, 1S4G, and it was
resolved to offer premiums amounting to $117 for the fair of September
;«)th following. Tiiey were for herds of eattle, not less than fifteen head,
owiied by one farmer, and for flocks of sheep, not less than twenty-five
head eaeli.
At the election for officers of the society, held November 20th, no
changes were made in tiie presidency, vice presidency, or secretarysiiip,
but John II. Faxon succeeded Arteraas Beebe as treasurer, and the
following were elected nuuiagers : Edwin Byington, II. C. Saff'ord,
^V. X. Eace, A. W. Whitney and Benjamin C. Perkins. At a meeting
of the hoard January 28, 1847, Mr. Iloltslaiuler was elected manager to
fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of William N. Kace.
Lectukers Appointed
At that meeting, also, tiie society appointed lecturers for liie dilTVrent
towiisluj)s, who were delegated to instruct file farmers on the advantages
of organization and advaneeil nietliods of agriculture, thus forestalling
an imi)ortant branch of the national department of agriculture. Tlie
lecturers api)ointed by the Lorain County Agricultural Society for 1847
were as follows: Dr. N. S. Townshend for Elyria, (Carlisle, Eaton,
Columbia, Jiidgeville, Avon and Slieftield ; I'rof. J. Dascomb, for Craf-
ton, Lagrange, Penfield, Huntington, Wellington and Pittsfield ; Prof.
J. II. Fairchild, for Black Iliver, Audierst, Brownhclm, Henrietta, Cam-
den, Brighton and Rochester.
The first four fairs were held at Elyria, the fifth at Oherlin and the
sixth, at Wellington. There was (|uite a contest for the 1852 fair
between Elyria and Wellington, the 01)ei-lin people usiudly supporting
the county seat location, as the roads were in Ijetter condition north of
llieir town than south. Elyria finally outbid AVellington, j|<100 to $52,
and the sixth fair was held at the county seat October 6 and 7, 1852. A
small sum was also spent on buildings and grounds dui-ing that year.
Ladies' IIousEMANsiin' Tntkoduced
The premiums became moi-e and more liberal, and new features were
introduced into the progranunos from year to year. At the ninth fair,
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 187
ill 1854, lor instance, Uiree premiums were offered for ladies' liorscmau-
sliip: First, silver eake l)asket; second, ladies' ridinj;' hat; tliinl, t,'old
pencil. The sncccssrid (•omi)etitors wcva Miss y\rys 'J'errell, Miss Sopliia
I'en-y and Airs. li. S. -Jenkins.
Pltre-Bked Cattle
Previous to tlie tentii fair very few, if any, pure-hred cattle had been
exhilnted, with the exception of Aston and Humphrey's Ileret'ords. The
rei)ort, as to that feature ol the exhibition, was as follows: "During
this year (,1854) Ileman Ely purchased several llerd-lJook short-horns —
the hull, Sir Humphrey, 974, and a fine cow and heifer bred by ileber
and Kutz, Fairtield county, Ohio. These aninuds made a good showing
and were adunred by the visitors. Al.so, the lamented Charles Arthur
Ely had purchased a tine herd of pure Devon cattle. These, too, were on
exhibition, and were of great excellence. ProbaJjly Ohio has not
exhibited finer .specimens of the Devon up to this day. The fine old
Bull, the Duke of I)e\on, was in every point a lirst-class animal. E.
I\Iatchem exhibited Devons anil owned some thoroughbreds."
.Star Farmers
At the early meetings of the .society much interest was taken by the
memhei's in the premiums awarded for the best cultivateil farms in the
county. in 1847 do.seph Swift, of Henrietta Township, took first
premium in that class, and Alonzo Gaston, of Russia, second ; in the
following year JMr. Gaston was first and N. Jackson, second, and at tiie
fifth lair, held in 1850, E. Clark took first premium and Mr. Claston,
second. In 1856 I\Ir. Gaston again took first on best cultivated farms,
Pitt \V. Hall, second, and D. B. Kiiuiey, third. Altogether, Alon/.o
(Jaston seems to have been the star farmer in the early years of the
society 's contest.s.
Josej)h Swift, of Henrietta, mentioned as carrying off the first
premium in 1847, was president of the society during the fir.st three
years of its life. 1). B. Kinney succeeded him in 184f), continued for
two terms, and was followed in 1852 ])y B. C. Pei'kin.s. N. B. Gates
served from 185;{ to 1H57; Edwin Byington during the succeeding two
years; Dr. N. S. Townshend in 185;)-G0.
FntST JOl/ECTIONf
The election of officers did not take place on the la.st day of liie fair
in 18fi() owing lo a regulation issued by llu; Oliio State Board of A-ri-
^UIMU '><'^\ I"
188 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
culture tliat all county agricultural societies siiould hold their aiuiual
elections in January; eonseciuentiy tlie okl hoartl of the Lorain County
Society of IKGO held over, and on -January 7, 1801, N. J>. (Jates was
cliosen ])i'esident; .]. Swift, Jr., vii;e ])t'esident, and P. A. JJishop,
secretary and treasurer. Mr. JJislioj) refu.sed to s(,'rve and K. C. Gi'iswold
was appointed in his stead. Mr. Gates served for four terms, or iicarly
tlirough the Civil war period, was followed hy D. A. Stocking for two
terms; then hy AVilliam A. Braman, for four, from 1867 to 1870,
inclusive; Charles S. Mills, 1871-72; R. Baker, 1873-74; AVilliam A.
Braman, 1875-76; C. S. Mills, 1877-7'J.
Tiie secretaries of the society have heen as follows: Dr. N. S. Towns-
hend, 1846; Ldwin Byington, 1846-47; A. IL Redington, 1846-51
(secretary and treasurer since 1850) ; Edward Matehem, 1851-54; IL C.
Safford, 1854-55; A. II. Redington, 1855-57; William H. Root, 1857-59;
IL M. Redington, 185fJ-60; E. C. Cri.swokl, 1861; R. G. Horr, 1862-63;
Moritz Gallup, 1864-65; T. S. Metealf, 1866-68; C. W. Johnson, 1869-71;
George P. Metealf, 1872 (treasurer appointed separately until 1876);
T. S. Metealf, 1873; E. G. Johnson, 1874-79 (secretary and treasurer
after 1877).
Imi'kovement of Grounds
For several years after 1852 the old fair grounds at Elyria, were
imj)roved in a snuili way, as they were leased and not tlie property of
the society. In 1866 active steps were taken to raise a fund for the
purchase of grounds and their proper improvement, which inchuled a
Jcfjuest to the county commissioners for an appropriation. In 1867 land
was finally purchased of Ileman VAy, heing lots 112 and 113 west of the
river and comj)rising over eigiiteeii acres. The okl huildings on the
oi)poHite side of Black River were taken down hy an organized "Bee"
and transferred to the new grounds. The new era was also signalized
hy a vote aggreeing to pay the secretary and treasurer for his oi'ticial
services.
During tlie year 1867 the work of improvement progressed liriskly,
file grounds were fenced, new huildings erected, a trotting course con-
structed and everything made ship-shape for the fall fair. The huikling
of the new hridge over the river added to the conveniences of the fair
management and llie attendants. A hirge dining hall was (i-ected ni tlie
foHowing yt'iiv and tlie h'loral Hall was added to the sulistanlial im|)rove-
iiicnfs ill 1S71. The latter was used for tlic display of domcslic, oi'nn-
iiicntal, tloral and artistic articles.
Tlic Ihird aiiiniMl picnii' and eseursioii of the society in 1K72 was u
"■sj
il!,.!
IIISTOJIY OF J.OltAlN COUNTY 189
piirl of tlu; celi;l)ratiou liold in honor of tliu oi)ening of the Tuscarawas-
Coiinortoii Vall(!y Jiailroad. One of the tliree steamers cliartered to
take lh(; excursionists to lilaek River proved unseaworthy and a (Jravv-
haek to tlie i)i-of,'rainnie, hut the iinaneial returns to tiie society were
quite encouraging.
The fairs continued to be held at Elyria, that of the Centennial year
being arranged for July 4tli. The board decided to erect a "log cabin"
on the grountls, and members of the society were requested to contribute
a log each for building material, and to be on hand early to throw up
the structure.. The logs were promptly on hand and the building com-
menced, but a deluge early in the day drove away tlie laborers. But a
large procession was formed and paraded in the rain. The clouds lifted
in the afternoon and enabled Judge W. W. IJoynton to deliver that
historic address on the "Early History of Lorain County," which has
become sucli a local clas.sic. Afterward the log cabin was finished in a
substantial way and used by the keeper of the grounds and his family.
Early Premiums Dropped
One of the early presidents of the society, R. Baker, in an extended
historical review, has the following: "In the opinion of the most
thoughtful, it would liave l)een better had the society conformed to the
requirements of the act passed in 1846 for the encouragement of agricul-
ture. For years the society offered inducements for improved plowing.
Tlic last contest for best plowing was in 1860. Here was tlie fir.st great
mistake. Also, encouragement was given for the best cultivated farm.
This was dropped in 186:3. The offering nuule for the best crops of
grain have been discontinued since 1873. All these, I think, should have
been continued, and should have formed a prominent part in the pre-
miums offered by the society."
Population of the County, 1830-1010
Tlie first Federal census of Lorain County was for the year 1830, and
indicates a population of 5,696. For the initial years of successive
decades, the showing is as follows: 1840, 18,467; 1850, 26.086; 1860,
29,744; 1870, 30,308; 1880, 35,526; 1890, 40,295; 1900, 54,857; 1010,
76,037.
A eompai'i.son by townships and iiicorjjoratcd cities and villages is
also presented, the Clovernment census figures for 1890, 1900 and 1010
l)eing presented for that j)urpose. It should be understood that as the
cities and villages, althouL-li they are given se])arately in the tables, are
190 IIISTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY
included in the towiishi]) figures, and tliat in easting up the county
totals, the latter should oidy be added.
TcnVNSIIII'S AND (JOKI'OUATIONS ]!)!()
Amherst Township, including Amherst Village. . -1,5!)7
Amherst Village 2,106
Avon Township 2,148
Jilack liiver Township, including Ijorain (Jity . .2!),30r)
Jjorain City 28,88:3
Ward 1 4,2!Jl
Ward 2 5,553
Ward 3 6,757
Ward 4 12,282
Brighton Township - 426
Brownhelm Townshiji 1,106
Camden Township 8:54
(,'ai'lisle Township 2,0!)6
(Johunhia Townshii) 1,084
Eaton Township, including part of (ii'ai'ton Vil-
lag(! 1.266
(irartoii Village (part of) 248
Total for (Ji'afton Village in Katoii and (iralton
townshij)s !)55
Klyi'ia Township, including lOlyria City l(i,046
Klyria City 14,825
Ward 1 2,788
AVard 2 4,880
Ward :i 4,01::}
Ward 4 :5,144
Grafton Township, inchuling part of (irafton Vil-
Iag(,' 1 ,522
Grafton Village (part of) 707
Henrietta 'I'ownship 802
Huntington Township 61!)
Lagi'ange Township, including Lagrange Village 1,408
Lagrange Village 467
Penfield Township 602
I'iltslield Township 787
K'idgevilh.' Townsliip 1,725
Iv'oeiiester Township, including Koehester V'^il-
lage 522
l{o<-licst('r Village 18(i
1!)00
18iJ0
3,74!)
:5,464
1,758
1,648
2,024
1,760
16,:J65
5,:ho
16,028
4,86:i
4!)0
5:58
1,100
1,186
87:5
05;j
1,510
i,:m
1,0!)0
!)2()
1 ,255
1,1 :50
2!)7
1,0!)8
600
!),7()1
6,41!)
8,7!)!
5,611
1,640
1,444
801
760
81!)
66:5
688
1 ,476
1,5:5:5
528
551
618
708
782
80:5
1 ,575
1 ,55:5
56!)
665
167
218
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 191
ToWNSI Ill's AM) C()IU'(»I!ATU)NS liJlU 1 'JOO 3 8'JO
Russia Towiislii)), iiiL'liiclint,' Oliurlin Villago.... 5,;}(j.'j r),()G;J Ii,;j(i!i
Ohcrliii Vill}i<,'(; ■i;U'>'> 4,()H2 4,:{7G
Slic-rfield 'I'owiislii]) ],0(JU 8!)U 'JM
Wciliugloii 'J'owiisliip, iii(;lii(iiiif^ Welliriffton Vil-
lage! 2,719 2,655 2,G;j:j
AVc'Iliiigtoii Viliag-i; 2,1;J1 2,094 2,UG9
Totals 76,037 54,857 40,295
Electric Unification in Lokain County
Tlu' recent unification of tiie power i)lants, substations and transmis-
sion lines serving Lorain, Elyria and otiier points in the eountj-, is of
siuli \vi(lesj)read scope and importance that a desci-iption of it in detail
is inserted at this place. The late George E. ^Milligan and R. E. Burger
were ehietly instruiiieiital in this consolidation, anil its i)reliiuinai'y opera-
tions have heen described by the latter. One j)erliiu'nt change in the
text of the article a.s i)repared by him in 1914 is to substitute the naiiio
of .1. 15. John.son for that of R. E. JJurgei-, as agent or manager of the
lOlyiia and Lorain electric pro])erties. In the summer of 1!)15 ]\lr.
IJni'ger sevei'ed ins connection with the Lorain Coiiiity enterjii'ise to
assume a I'esponsiiile position with the Toledo Railways and Lij^ht
Company.
Eollowing is the article, as originally i)i'ei)ared by Mr. Burgei' with
the nece.ssary changes to bring it up to date :
"In the fall of 1912, Mr. Ceorge E. Milligan, acting for II. L.
Doherty & Co., who o\v;n and operate a number of Pul)lic Utilities in
various parts of the country, purciiased the electric lighting and power
business of tlie tliree companies who previous to this time had been
operating in Elyria. These companies were the Ely Realty Co., The
(.'itizens Gas & Electric Co., and the Elyria jMilling & Power Co. Eacli
of these comjianies ojjcrated a separate plant and maintained its own dis-
tributing .system. The new owners immediately began the construction
of a modern central station .system with a view of giving the public
l)etter .service at lower rates, furnishing tlie various manufacturing plants
witli a reliable and efficient source of power for less than the factories
themselves could produce it and by offering cheap and efficient power
to new industries help to induce them to locate here and thus build
up the comnninity realizing that anything which benefits the community
benefits the (Central Station furnishing that connnunity.
"Realizing that the plants in operation were not large enough to meet
192 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
the requirements of the situation, the company purchased the large
power plant which the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Co. had a short time
previously erected in Lorain and proceeded to install additional equip-
ment of the most modern design and to build transmission lines from
this plant to the various communities to be furnished with electric
service. At the time the B. & 0. plant was purchased, a contract was
made with the railroad company to furnish them the power required
for operating their shops and ore docks at Lorain and at about the same
time contracts were made to furnish electric service to the Citizens Gas
& Electric Co., of Lorain, the Cleveland Stone Co. quarries at South
Amherst and Berea, the Municipal Electric Plant at Amherst and the
village of Olmsted Falls. The present organization operating for the
time being under the name of R. E. Burger, Agent, is now furnishing
power to all of tiie above towns in addition to Elyria and at the present
time is preparing to also furnish the village of Ridgeville. By reduc-
ing the number of plants from eight small plants to one large plant
the company has been able to effect operating economies from which
the public are now reaping tlie I)enefit.
"Since the reorganization some of the former generating stations
have been rehabilitated while the operation of others has been discon-
tinued, new sub-stations and transmission lines have been erected and
every effort made to deliver efficient and reliable service to the com-
pany's patrons. Although the company has yet to complete the first
year of its existence, rapid strides Imve been made in l)uilding up a
lighting and industrial motor load on tlie system.
"Pending the completion of plans for reincorporation now l)eiug
prepareil, the system as al)ove noted is being operatetl umler the name
of 'R. E. Burger, Agent,' under which style all transactions have been
carried on since the sudden death recently of Mr. Geo. E. Milligan.
Later it is expected that the name 'The Lorain County Electric Co.'
will be adopted.
"The Ore Docks i)lant at Lorain is now the main generating station,
all of the power being generated there except in emergencies. Tliis i)lant
is a large brick and concrete Imihling of i)leasing arcliitecture. In the
boiler room are located 8 large boilers wliicli carry 175 11)S. per S(|uare
inch steam pressure with 100 degrees superlieat. These boilers are hand
lired and equipped with rocking grates. Tliese boilers are of sufficient
size to allow the entii'i; load of the plant U> be carried on live oi' tlirm
giving at all times thi'ee boilers in I'escrve. Tlii^ \\-v{\ water piniips, etc.,
are also located in the same I'ooin and these are ail in (lu|>lieiite so that
there are always reserve pumps ready for instant use,
"In the generating r(i(»in are located two .lOO K\V direct eonneeted
LMU
t>{lJ lo •=^".nT ■nil -,'l 9ilt
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUiNTY 193
oiiyiiie il liven generators wliieli ordinarily are used Tor supplying power
to tlie ore ilocks and one 2,50U KW steam turbine driven generator which
ordinarily supplies the remainder of the system. Between the turbine
and the engine driven generators are located two motor generator sets
of 8U(J KW capacity so arranged that alternating current can be fur-
nisheil to the transinissiou lines from the engine driven generators
tiirough the motor generator sets or direct current furnished the ore
docks from the turbine. The turbine is operated condensing and some
idea of the high grade of apparatus that has been installed from the
fact tiiat tlie vacuum is kept within 3-10 inch of perfect. The switch-
board exciters, etc., are also located in this same room. This switchboard
is complete in every detail. JMeters on each circuit measure the exact
amount of power lielivered to each part of the system, and the highest
gratle of switches and instruments have been used throughout. In the
engine room are also located recording instruments which keep an
accurate record of the amount of draft under the boiler and also the
amount of CO. in the flue gases showing how nearly tlie efficiency of
the boilers is kept up to standard.
"On the west end of the power plant a step-up sub-station has been
built. The turbine generates current at a pressure of 2,200 volts. This
current goes through the switchboard to the step-up sub-station where
tlie voltage is stepped up to 22,000 and fed to the transmission line at
this higii voltage. The highest grade lightning protective apparatus is
installeil in this sub-station to protect the station apparatus from line
disturbances due to lightning.
••The double 22,000 volt line leaving the ore dock plant follows the
B. & O. right-of-way to South 22nd street, Lorain, where the step-down
sub-station for the city of Lorain is located. The current for Lorain is
taken from the main transmission line at this point and stepped down
to 2,-2()0 volts by means of a sub-station of 1,050 KW capacity. This
current is tlien delivered to the switcliboard of the Citizens Gas & Elec-
tric Co., who distribute it throughout the city of Lorain over their own
distribution lines. This sub-station at Lorain is typical of all the sub-
stations on the system. The building is a .small two story one of brick,
concrete and steel. • The first floor contains the transformers for chang-
ing the voltage of the current and the second floor contains the lightning
protection apjjaratus and high tension switches. At South 22nd° street"
Lorain, is also located the plant foi'inerly operated by the Citizens Gas
& Klectri(; Co. Tliis phmt contains gas engine driven generators of 500
KW capacity. This ai)paratus has been put in first class operating con-
dition and while not operated is kept in instant readiness to be started
up as a generating station sujiijlying current to the system in ease of
ll1 jljiUOUlIi
1^4 JIlSTOIiYUF J.OlfAIN COUNTY
necessity. fSwitc'lu's are provided lit this sub-station so that any local
ti'ouijle can lie isohited witliout clTectinf^ tlie I'est of tlie system. There
is also a switch in tliis suh-station controlling the line to Amherst and
South Amherst so that trouble on that section can be cleared up with-
out interfering with the rest of the system.
"At 36tli street, Lorain, the main transmission line branches into
two parts, one line going to Amherst and South Amherst, and the other
line going to Elyria, the line to Olmsted Falls and Berea branching ofl"
from the Elyria line a sliort distance from Elyria and being controlled
by a switch in the Elyria sub-station.
"At Amher.st the municipal plant has been shut down and con-
verted into a sub-station, the transformers, lightning arresters, and
switching apparatus being located in the building formerly used for the
j)lant. ('uri'cnt is sold to the city by the com])any and tiie city retails
the service to their various (-ustomers. The municipality has found that
it is cheaper to buy their curi'ent than to make it and in fact have been
able to reduce tlieir rates considerably since shutting down their own
plant. They are also able to fui-nish their customers 2-1 hour service
now instead of 12 hour service as heretofore. This has been the means
of increasing the city's business as several industries in Amherst have
recently contracted with the city for their j)ower requirements at a
saving to the factories and a gain for the city.
"At Soutli Amherst is another step-down sub-station installed for
the Cleveland Stone Company's (juarries at that point. Approximately
1,0U0 IIP. in motors are supplied with power from this sub-.statiou and
it is expected that this will be doubled within the coming year.
"The sub-station at Olmsted Ealls is a small one of the out door type
and is of 5U KW capacity. Cui-rent li-om this stntion is sold to the
municipality who in turn retail it to their customers for lighting and
power as well as use it for street lighting. Olmsted Falls has iiever
before had electric service and. they are very enthusiastic about it. The
iiuuiieijiality built and owns all its own disti'ibuting lines and simply
buy their electricity instead of making it.
"The sub-station at Berea is of 450 KAV capacity and is similar to
the other stations previously mentioned. Practically the entire opera-
tion of the quarries and mills at Berea is electric, there being over 1,000
TIP of motors in use in these quarries.
"The suh-slalion at Elyi-ia is located on Huron street near the 15. &
O. I'ailroad station. This sub-station is somewhat larger and moi-e
elaboi-ate than the other stations because of the fact that tin; company
is I'etailing electric .service in lOlyria and all of the lighting and i)ower
circuits as W(;ll as the street lighting system are controlled from this
IIISTOKY OF LOUAIN COUNTY 195
l)oiiit. This snb-station lias a opacity of 2,100 KW at tlio prosont time
and provisions liavt; Ix'cn inailc for doiihlinK its capacity. The ciiiTcnt
coininj,' Iruiii Loi'aiii is stepped down to 2,200 volts and divitjed into
vai'ious cifcnils i'or ligiitint,' and power. 'J'hc city is divith'd into dit-
i't'i'ciit districts, cacii district liavinfj its own separate circuit. This is
done so that in case of trouble caused by a tree blowing,' down or any
similar ca.se oidy that district will be all'ectcd instead of the whole city.
This system also makes it very much easier to locate and i-emedy such
troulile ill mucii sliorter time as the men know just where to go to look
i'or the cause. The power circuits are kept entirely separate from the
lighting circuits so that the power customers are assured uninterrupted
service. The company has spent large sums during tlie pa.st year in
replacing old poles, cross arms, wire, etc., on the distributing system
antl in fact is doing everything in its power to make this system a model
one. How well they are succeeding is shown by the fact that since the
new power plant and transmission lines have been in operation there has
been bnt one interruption of service of more than one minute's duration.
"Particular care has been given to the construction of the 22,000
volt transmission lines. The type of construction used is far from being
the cheapest but it is the best for central statioji systems of this kind.
By referring to the cut it will be noticed that each pole carries two cross
arms, tiie toj:) arm carrying one phase of the three pha.se line and the
l)ottom arm the other two i)]iases. Paralleling the wire on the toj) arm
is a gi'ound wire wliich is grounded at every second pole. A second
ground wire is i)laeed below the bottom a)'m. These two wires give a
perfect path to the ground for lightning, thus absolutely protecting the
transmission line from disturbances by ligiitning. The sliort two pin
arm shown just below this second ground wire carries the company's
private telephone line which connects the various suli-stations and plants
with the main office in El^-ria.
"As a further insurance against interruption of service ai'range-
ments have been made to keep the dam of the Elyria I\Iilling & Power
Co., filled with water after the completion of the Washington avenue
bridge. This jilant has a capacity of 500 KW and will be almost in-
stantly available in case of necessity. The old plant of the Citizens Cas
& Electric Co., on LFaple street, Elyria, has also been put in shape so
that in case it was ever required it can be put into service as soon as
steam can be geiu'i'ated in the boilers.
" l^'rom the aljove description of this .system it will be .seen tiiat no
skill or expense has been spared to make it one of th(! best of its kind in
the country. That these efforts are appreciated by the public is shown
by the way the load is growing. The management are now con(emi)lating
196 lUSTUKY OF LORAiN COUNTY
the installation of another steam turbine driven generator at the Loraiu
plant of 5,U00 KW capacity.
".Mr. Henry L. ])olierty, the head of tlic Company operating this
central station, was tiie first man in this industry to realize the necessity
of a sales organization for a- central station and he was the tirst one to
organize such a department. ]\Ir. Dolierty did uot believe in waiting
for business to come to him and then acting as if a favor were being
done the customer by giving him service. He believed that the central
station was like any other manufacturing business and to be successful
should push the sale of its product. This policy has been carried out
in all the plants with which he is connected. Realizing that the
central station must depend upon the public for its patronage the idea
always kept prominently in mind by all of the employes of the Doherty
organization is that their first duty is to the public and that good
service, courteous treatment and a square deal nuist be given to all
customers. The local company is striving to follow out this policy.
"In order that everyone in Elyria within reach of its lines may enjoy
the benefits of electric service without unreasonable expense, the com-
pany has in.stituted a .system of house wiring whereby a si.K room house
may l)e coiui)ietely o(iuipj)ed for about $45 including lamps and fixtures.
As the prices for more elaborate installations are in proportion and the
custoiiier is given the oi)tion of paying in small montlily installments if
desired, llus system is proving very po|)ular and houses are being wired
at the rate of forty per month. A similar campaign for electric sign and
show window advertising is now in pi-ogress and it is safe to iiredict
that in the very near future Elyria will be one of the best lighted cities
ill this part of the country."
CHAPTER XI
THE BENCH AND BAR
Grand Opening op First Territorial Court — Harrison, Later-Day
Big Buckeye — First Court in Lorain County — Grand Jury
Purely Honorary — Early Judges and Associates — Associates
Abolished — Old Bench ]\Iore Democratic — Philemon Bliss — First
Probate Judge — Josiah Harris — Two Noted President Judges —
WooLSEY Welles — Delegates to the 1851 Convention — Present-
Day Courts — Common Pleas Judges, 1852-80 — Stevenson Burke
— Washington W. Boynton — John C. Hale — Early Probate
Judges — AVilliam F. Lockwood — Lionel A. Sheldon — Charles H.
DooLiTTLE — John W. Steele — Laertes B. Smith — Prosecuting
Attorneys Previous to 1880 — Joel Tiffany — John M. Vincent —
Joseph II. Dickson — Other Early Prosecuting Attorneys — Pio-
neer Lawyers, Pure and Simple — Horace D. Clark — Other Fel-
low Practitioners — A. A. Bliss — Judson D. Benedict — ]\Iyron R.
Keith — Joshua Myers — John V. Coon — "Foreign" Practitioners
— Accessions from 1845 to 1860 — Sylvester Bagg — Attained
Prominence Abroad — Oberlin Lawyers — John 'M. Langstox — The
Oberun-Wellington Rescue Case — Came in the '60s and '70s —
J. C. HiLi. — Roswell G. Horr — Retrospect of the Earlier Bar —
I'.ENCH AND Bar Since 1880 — Comjion Pleas and Probate Judges
— Hon. David J. Nye, Veteran Active Practitioner — Hon. Clar-
ence G. Washburn — Leading ^Members of the Bar — The Bar Asso-
ciation — Notable Cases Within Forty Years.
As we know, the judicial system of the state and tlie United States,
upon which depends the county couiis and the judicial bodies of even
iiini'e local scoi)e, were rooted in tlie ordinance of 1787, and wlien llie
iirst Snpreiiie Conrt of llie Northwest 'i'ei-rilory was opened with iinieh
pomp at ]\f arietta, in 1788, the lawyers and the Supreme judfres pro-
crdcd th(^ ^'overnor and llie cler-(,'ymen, altliouf^h tlicy i'oHowcd the
lii^h shei-ilV, the citi/eim mid lli(( military. I'^iirl lier, as it was upon
lf)7
198 illSTOUY OF LORAIN COUNTS"
that occasion that the iiaine Buckeye first sprung to tlie front as a
characteristic word, althouf^h not tiien applied to any region, we con-
dense one of llildretli's accounts of the matter.
Grand Opening of the Fik-st Terkitorial Court
Upon tiie opening of the first court in the Northwest Territoiy, on
the 2d of September, 1788, a procession was formed at the point where
most of the settlers at ]\Iarietta resided, and marched up a path that
had been cut and cleared through the forest to Campus Martins Hall,
in the following order:
1st. Tlie high sheriff with drawn sword.
2tl. The citizens.
3d. Olficers of the garrison at Fort llarmar.
4th. rilembers of the bar.
5tli. Supreme judges.
Gth. Tlie governor and clergyman.
7th. The newly appointed judges of the Court of Common Pleas,
General Rufus Putnam and lienjamin Tupper.
There the whole countermarched and the judges, Putnam and Tup-
per, took their seats. The clergyman, Rev. Dr. Cutler, invoked the
divine blessing, and the sheriff. Col. Kbene/.er Sproat, proclaimed
with his solemn "0 yes!" that "a court is opened for the administration
of even-handed justice, to the poor as well as to the rich, to the guilty
and the innocent, without respect of persons, none to be punished with-
out a trial by their peers and then in pursuance of law." Although
this scene was exhibited thus early in the settlement of the state, few
ever equaled it in the dignity and exalted character of the actors.
Among the spectators who witnessed the ceremony and were deeply
impi'essed by its solemnity and seeming signiticanee, was a large body
of Indians collected from some of the most powerful tribes of the North-
west for the purpose of making a treaty with the whites. Always fond
of ceremony themselves, they witnessed the parade, of which they little
suspected the import, witii the greatest interest, and were especially
impressed with the high sheriff who led the procession with drawn sword,
lie was, over six fei't in height, of fine jjhysical proportions and com-
Mumding presence and, amid muririiii\s of admiration, fhe awe-sti'uck
Indians named him, on llie spot, lleluek, or liig l?U(^key(!. It was given
the colonel as an expression of their gi-eatcst admiration, l)ut was
aflerwai'd jocosely applied to Colonel Spi'oat by his white friemis as
II sort of nickname.
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 199
Haruison, Later-Day liiG Buckeye
Tliat was certainly the first known applioation of Buckeye to an
individual, but there is no evidence that the name, at that period, be-
eaiiie so eurn-nt as to be attached to tlie state. But during the many
years that pioneer migration spread westward through the state the
horse chestnuts, known as buckeye, were gathered by travelers in the
rich valleys of Ohio and brought back as curiosities to the East. Their
medicinal properties were also di.scovered and added to their fame as
a characteristic product of the state. But the name never became fully
crystallized until during the Harrison campaign of 1840. Early in the
political fight an opposition paper spoke of the General as one "better
fitted to sit in a log-cabin and drink hard cider than rule in the White
House." The remark was at once taken np by Harrison's friends,, and
from that time until his election he was generally pictured as sitting
by the door of a rude log cabin, through which could be seen a barrel
of hard cider, with the walls luing with coon skins and strings of buck-
eyes. Tn all the processions appeared log cabins built of buckeye logs,
and the campaign songs were replete with such expressions as "buck-
eye cabin," "bonnie Buckeye State," "jolly Buckeye boys," and "the
Buckeye," referring especially to General Harrison. The swing and
fame of that campaign fixed the name on Oiiio. The President had
become the more famous successor of the original Hetuck, or Big Buck-
eye, who had opened the first Court of Connnon Pleas for the Nortli-
west Territory nearly half a century before.
First Court in Lorain County
When the first Common Pleas Court in Lorain County was organ-
ized in 1824, it was, of course, created under the constitution of 1802.
The details of its first sitting are matters of record, the impressive pre-
lude being as follows: "Be it remi'ml)ere("l that on the 24th day of
May, A. D. 1824, at Elyria, in the county of Lorain, in pursuance of
a statute law of the State of Ohio passed on the 10th of February in
the year aforesaid, entitled an 'Act regulating the time of holding
judicial court,' the first Court of Common Pleas, in and for said county
of Lorain, was opened in due form l)y the sheriff tiiereof, Josiali Har-
ris: liolding said coui't, Cicorge Tod, ])i-csiden1 of tlie Court of f!om-
moii IMeas for the Third circiiif in Ibis slalc, iu wliidi cir'cuil is tlie
said county of Tjoi'aiu, and liis associalcs, l\Iost's I'jhlrcd, Hcni'y Brown
and I'^'cih'i'ick Hamlin, before which Court tiie foHowiug proceedings
wc'i'i' had, to-wit : Woolsey Welles, an attorney of n'coi'd in the ('ourt,
200 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
was appointed the attorney to prosecute the pleas of the state for this
county during the pleasure of the Court." Mr. Welles was also ap-
pointed temporary clerk.
The first official act of the court was the appointment of Lueinda
Holcomb, widow of Almond Iloleomb, and Edward Durand, as admin-
istrators of the Holcomb estate. The first suit, Simon Nichols vs. Thomas
G, Bronson, was for the recovei'y of $1,427.27, and was won by the
plaintifi". Ebenezer Whiton was appointed permanent clerk of the
court on the second day of the session.
Grand Jury Purely Honorary
The first grand jury, which was sworn and charged by Judge Tod,
and which failed to find any business provided for it, was composed
of the following citizens: Ileman Ely (foreman), Benjan\in Brown,
Eliphalet Redington, Phineas Johnson, j\Iahel Osburn, Edward Du-
rand, Harry Reddington, Gardner Howe, Erastus Ilauiliu, Simon
Nichols, Silas Wilmot, Thomas G. Bronson, James J. Sexton and Abra-
ham Moon.
Early Judges and Associates
At the ]\Iarch term, 1830,. Hon. Reuben Wood took his seat as pre-
siding judge, with the same associates as before given. Heman Ely
becajne associate judge in the fall of 1830, and in April, 1831, Josiah
Harris and E. W. Hubbard commenced their terms as Judge Wood's
associates.
In the spring of 1834 Hon. Ezra Dean ascended the bench as presi-
dent judge; Heman Ely, Josiah Harris and Franklin Wells, associates.
Ozias Long was appointed associate judge in the spring of 1835 and
Daniel J. Johns in 1837.
In 1840 Hon. John W. Willey became presiding judge and died in
office, July 9, 1841. Hon. Reuben Hitchcock filled the vacancy until
January, 1842, when he was succeeded by Hon. Benjamin Bissell, with
Franklin AVells, Daniel J. Johns and Jo.seph L. Whiton as associates.
In the May term of 1815, Elijah DcWitt and Daniel T. l^ahlwin
bccaiiK! iissociale judges, iiiul in the A]»ril t<'i'iii, THIS, Bciijiiiniii C,
Perkins was ap[)oinle(l.
Hon. Philemon Bliss Ix^came president judge in May, IS 10, and
William Day an associate.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 201
Associates Abolisukd
A new constitution was adopted by the convention at Cincinnati
on Mareli 10, 1851, but as it did not go fully into effect until the fol-
lowing year, it is generally known as the constitution of 1852. Under
that instrument tlie office of associate judge was abolished and that of
judge of, the Court of Common Pleas made elective for a term of five
years.
Old Bench ]\Iore Democr.vtic
The Common Pleas bench, especially under the provisions of the
first constitution, drew to itself much ability. Its old composition, with
its two or three associates dra\\Ti from citizen ranks, brought the pre-
siding judges in close touch with the people and enabled them more
effectually to advance their public ambitions, if their aims were in that
direction, than under the present constitution by which they are elected
and have no intermediaries. Those who first served Lorain County as
heads of the court were such non-residents as George Tod, of Trum-
bull County, who had been on the State Supreme bench before he pre-
sided over the Common Pleas Court; Reuben Wood, of Cuyahoga
County, afterward chief justice of the State Supreme Court and gov-
ernor of the commonwealth ; John AV. Willey, first mayor of Cleveland
before he came into Lorain County to preside for his short term (cut
oft' by death), and Reuben Hitchcock, of Painesville, so prominent in
the educational matters of that section.
Philemon Bliss
Hon. Philemon Bliss, who was the last presiding judge of the Court
of Common Pleas under the old constitution, had been a member of the
Elyria bar for a number of years previous, and for thirty years there-
after his record, both at home and abroad, was one worthy of individual
and county pride. Although of Connecticut nativity, his parents moved
to New York when be was a boy, and later he was educated at Oneida
Institute, AYliitesboro, that state, and at Hamilton College. He was
loo poor to graduate and' in 1833, when he left college, he entered a law
office at Whitesboro, where he studied a year, and then went to Florida
1o regain his health. Althougii his stay there did not materially benefit
him, he decided to join his older brother in Elyria.
Tile result was lliat he com])lelcd his legal studies wilh his brother,
A. A. Bliss, then a leading lawyer and a member of Ihe State Legis-
AHOJ m) /VIUTPHI
202 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
lature, and in 1841 himself entered practice in Elyria. Tlie two
brothel's formed a j)artnersliip which was iiuitually profitable, and in
the winter of 1848-!) Philemon was elected hy tlie (leneral Assembly
I)residing judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District, which endjraced the
counties of Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga. The new constitu-
tion created the office of probate judge, and in October, 1851, he was
elected to the new judgesliip. lie was connuissioned bj^ Governor Reu-
ben Wood in January, 1852, and entered upon his duties in the fol-
lowing March.
First Probate Judge
Judge Rli.ss' first official act as the first incuiid)ent of tlie Probate
bench for Lorain County bears date iMarch 5, 1852, and was the grant-
ing of a license to Rev. William O'Connor, a Catholic priest, authorizing
him to solemnize marriages. Judge Bliss was succeeded by William F.
Lock wood in November, 1854, as he had been elected a member of the
Tliirty-fourth Congress, and in 185G he was lionored with a re-elec-
tion. In the national halls of legislation, as in the courtroom and on
the bench, he was quiet, industrious, straightforward, thorougli and
ai)le, and gained the confidence of his fellow members both south and
north during that period of gathering conflict. lie is said to have made
several arguments upon the legal aspects of slavery in its relations to
the Federal Government, which Charles Sumner and other leading
iiKMnbers of the Senate pronounced the most conclusive which had l)een
delivered in the House of Representatives.
In 1861, President Lincoln appointed Judge Bliss chief justice of
Dakota Territory, ])ut after organizing the courts the appointee re-
signed, in 1864, and moved to St. Joseph, ^ILssouri, where he engaged
in newspaper work and proved a strong force in holding the state in the
line of free states and as a supporter of the Union. In the fall of 1868
Philemon Bliss was elected judge of the Supreme Court of ^Missouri
and served his term of four years. In 1872 he was elected ])rofe.ssor
of law in the ]\Iissouri State University and dean of the law faculty; in
fact, he opened that department of the Slate University. Judge Bliss
iiuule a fine record on the bench and as an able litei-ary expounder of
tile law, wliili' a i-csidcnt of the State of iMissouri, and his oldest son,
William, also bci'aiin' one of its leading la\v\crs and rcpiiljlicans.
JosiAH IIaukis
The old constitution provided for a president judge of the Court of
Common Pleas, "well versed in the law," and associates who were to
•>enM iifif.mid
HISTORY OF LOKAINCOIJNTY 203
]){'. r('i)i-fsciilutiv('.s of llio coiuily and not i'('(|uir('(l to have other qualifi-
cations than j)lain eoniinoii sense and {^ood nioi'al standing in tlie coin-
iiuinit y. As a rule, despite tin^ir la(tk of l(;t;al traininj^, tiiey were worthy
representatives of the people and useful assistants to the presiding
judg(!. Of these early associate judges none measured up to a higher
standard than Josiali Harris, of Ainiierst. lie was a Massaehusetts man
and one of the founders of the town, upon the site of wiiieh he first
encamped in 1818. In the following year the first election in Black
River Township was held in his log liouse, and in 1821 he was chosen
justice of the peace for a territory which embraced what are now Black
River, Amherst, Russia, Brownhelm and Henrietta townships. During
the three years of his .service, it is said that only five appeals were taken
from his docket and only one of these ever came to trial in the Court of
Common Pleas. He was the first sherilf of Lorain County and served
two terms, tiie limit of the old constitution.
'Sijuire Harris was appointed associate judge in 1829 and served
seven years in that capacity. During that period Hon. George Tod,
father of Governor Tod, and Hon. Reul)en Wood, who afterward became
chief justice of the State Supreme Court and governor of the state, were
the president judges of the court.
In 1827 Jutlge Harris represented Cuyahoga County in the state
House of Representatives. Such was tlie condition of the roads and
conveyances at that time that Judge Harris rode his hor.se to Columbus,
wintered him there, and returned on hoi'seI)ack in the si)ring. After
representing Lorain and IMcdiiui in the IIou.se two terms, he was elected
seiuitor from the .same district and served for two yeai's. , Although a
member of the dominant party in the Legislature, he successfully re-
sisted its attempt to repeal the ciiarter of Oberlin College, then obnoxious
to many on account of its al)olition tendencies. At the time of his
death in Amherst Village, ]\Iareh 26, 1868, at the age of eighty-four,
Judge Harris was one of the oldest postmasters in the United States,
having held office for more than forty years. He was first appointed by
Postmaster General Return J. Meigs, whose terms expired in 1823 as a
niend)er of the i\Ionroe cabinet.
Two Noted Presidknt J(;dgks
George Tod, of TiMurdndl County, was about concluding his .service
of fouitccii ycai's as judge of the (.ourl of Common I'leas when Mr. I!ai'-
I'is comiiKMHtcd his cai'cer' as an associate. Wv had already served sevei'al
leiiiis as slide si'uatoi- and had been a member of the State Supreme
t''!iy\."ii' >'U]-n -III
204 • HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
Court. lie was a Yale graduate aud thoroughly read in the law before
he came West.
R<iiiben "Wood was a Vermonter and an able la\vyer. After his long
service on the State Supreme bench, in 1850, he was elected governor
on the democratic ticket, but resigned to enter the diplomatic service in
the Chilean field. The climate undermined his health, and he returned
to his farm near Rockport, Cuyahoga County; there (known as "Ever-
green Place") he died in 1864.
WooLSEY Welles
Woolsey Welles, the first prosecuting attorney of Lorain County,
and long a prominent lawyer and a leader of public opinion at Elyria,
was of ^lassachusetts birth and New York education, and soon after
attaining his majority and his admission to the bar, in the fall of 1823,
became a resident of the county seat. As public prosecutor of the
county, for two years, he received $120, when he moved to Akron to
assume the duties of his position as collector of canal tolls at that point.
He held that office for about a year, wlien, on account of his religious
scruples, he resigned to avoid Sabbath laboi-s. j\[r. AVelles also held
the postmaster.ship at Akron under presidents John Quincy Adams
and Jackson, and was justice of tlie peace for nearly five years. He
resigned the last-named office in 1834 in order to give all his time to
his duties as traveling agent of the Ohio State Temperance Society, of
which Governor Lucas was president. After being thus employed for
about a year, lie returned to Elyria and re-entered the practice of the
law in partnership with Ileman Birch.
In the fall of 1837 Mr. Welles moved to Cleveland, Avhere he .spent
three years in practice, at the end of which he again located at Elyria,
where he remained for nearly a decade. During that period he became
more prominent as an anti-.slavery agitator than as a lawyer, and,
through the agency of Dr. N. S. Townshend, whom the Freesoilers had
elected to the Legislature, received the appointment of state agent for
the sale of Western Reserve school lands. This necessitated his resi-
dence in Defiance, Williams County, where he resided .some nine years.
He was then appointed to an Iowa land agency and settled at Fort
Dodge, that state, where he spent the later years of his life.
Dklkoates to- the ]8r)l Convention
The delegates from the county to the constitutional convention of
1851 were Dr. Norton S. Townshend and Horace D. Clai'k. During liis
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 205
resfdciicc' ol' fliirty years in Lorain Ooiiiily, most ol' tliat i)oriotl bein-r a
citi/cii oL' Klyria, Doctor 'I'owiisIicikI altaiiicil imicli piihlic proiniiicnee
as well as jirofc'ssional raiiu;.
Horace L). Clarlc, tlie second delegate from Loraiu County to the
constitutional convention of 1851, was one of tlie oldest and Lest known
lawyers in Nortliern Oliio." At that time he had been practicing seven-
teen years in Elyria, and naturally a more extended account of his
professional career will be given in the section devoted to prominent
members of the bar who have held no judgeships. In fact, as far as
]Mr. Chirk was concerned, during his thirty years of practice at Elyria
lie lield no official position other than as delegate to the constitutional
convention of 1851.
Present-Day Courts
As finally adopted, the coiistitution i)rovided for five judges of the
State Supreme Court. From that time to this only one member of that
body has been selected from Lorain Countv — W. W. Ijoynton of
Elyria.
The judicial power of the state is vested in a supreme court,
courts of appeals, courts of common pleas, courts of proltate and such
othfi- inferior judicial bodies as may be established by law. The Supreme
Court judges are elected for six years; under the 1851 constitution they
were elected for five years. The tenn is the same for common pleas
judges, and the office is also elective. The probate judges are elected for
four years. The amendments adopted by the constitutional convention
of 1912 almost entirely changed the judicial system of Ohio. Each
county was given one or more common pleas judges, the common pleas
districts heretofoi-c exi.sting being abolished.
Till' Federal courts have only one representative from Lorain County,
Hon. Tiiomas A. Conway, of Elyria, a referee in bankruptcy for the
Eastern Division of Ohio, who.se jurisdiction also covers ^Medina County.
He was a former probate judge and succeeded James II. Leonard in
IMay, rJ15. As to the courts of appeals, Lorain County is in the Eighth
District of the state, but has no resident judge on the bench.
The judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Lorain County is Hon.
Horiice (i. Redington. Teclinically, it is included in the Fourth Dis-
ti-ict, Second Sididivision, of llie state. In Septeml)er, 1014, was a])-
pointed to succeed Hon. I.ee Stroiip, ol" Lorain, to hold the office until
liis successor was elected and (|iiali(ied. In tbe fall of li»U Judge Red-
ington and ^^'. P. Tliom]is()n were candidates for election to fill tliat
position. The election I'csidted in a tie, no one being elected. Jiulge
206 IILSTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Redington continiu'd to hold tho office and is still holding it. There
was ;i contest and llie voles wen; recounted by tlie ('onrt of A|)|)eals.
The ("oiirl. of Appeals found that, tlicrc was a tic 'IMk; ease tiii'U went
to tlie Supi'ciiic (,'ouit and tlie decision of thi; (Joiirt of Appeals was
aflinued by tlie »Supreiiie Court leaving Judge Jtedington upon tiie Ifciich
as his successor had not been elected.
At the last se.ssion of the Legislature the office of another conunon
pleas judge for Lorain County was created and W. B. Thompson was
appointed to fill the new position. We, therefore, have both Judge
Redington and Judge Thompson upon the bench, .serving under appoint-
ments of the governor.
The times for holding of courts are fixed each year by the judges.
The Court of Appeals holds two terms in the county and the Common
Pleas Court three terms.
Common Pleas Judges, 1852-188:3
lion. Samuel Ilumphreyville was the first incumbent of the Common
Pleas Court, nnder the present constitution, commencing his services in
1852; was succeeded l)y James B. Carpenter in 1857; Thomas Bolton,
1858; AVilliam n. Canfield, 1859; John S. Green, 18G1 ; Stevenson Burke,
18G2-!); W. W. Boynton, 18Gf); John C. Hale, 1877-83.
Stevenson Burke
Among the most prominent occupants of the Common Pleas bench
in Loi'ain County under the new constitutional era were Stevenson-
Burke and Washington W. Boynton, whose experiences are somewhat
similar, both having made their broadest reputation as lawyers in Cleve-
land after their retirement from the bench; but while Judge liurke de-
parted permanently from the scene of iiis first jn'ofessional work
(I]lyria) Judge Boynton, after gravitating l)etween his home town,
Columbus and Cleveland, for a long series of years, finally returned to
his first love, and is now living in honored retii'ement at his beautiful
home in the county seat.
Judge l^urke is a New York man, l)orn in St. Lawrence County
on the 2Gth of November, 182G, and is therefore nearing his eightieth
year. In .March, 1S;M, his father moved from New York to Ohio, and
settled with the family in Ridgeville, Loi'ain County, where he resided
unlii his (h^alb in August, 1875. Up to tln' age of si.xteeii, Steveiisoti's
sclmoling came in vei'y small and irregular instalments. For some time
afterward he enjoyed more regular iiisti'uction in .sele(^(. schools at
>(ft
IIISTOKY OF I.ORAIX COl'XTY 207
Rid;^L'ville Center and Elyria, and still later at Delaware University,
located in flic town by that name in the eeiitrai ])art of tin; state. There,
in \H\{') JK' also (■oniMienccd Ihc study of law iiiidri- Messrs. I'oweli and
Jiuek.
In the spring of 1848 ]\Ir. Hiirke eoni])leted his i)rofessional studies
at Elyriti under Horace D. Clark; was admitted to jjraetice by the
.State Suinx'ine Court on August 11 th of that year, and became a resi-
dent lawyer at the county seat. In April of the following year his
preceptor admitted him into a copartnership, which continued until
May, 1852. The succeeding decade was one of industry, ceaseless labor,
continual progress and impairing health. As a judicial position was
less wearing, his friends secured his election to a judgeship of the
Court of ConuMon J'leas of the Kourth Judicial District of Ohio, which
he held from Februarj', 18(i2, to January, 18()'J. At that time he had
served two years of a second term and was succeeded by Judge Boynton.
Judge Burke relinquished his judicial duties to resume the practice
of the law, having formed a partnership in Cleveland with Hon. F. T.
Backus and E. J. Estep. The association was dissolved hy the death
of I\lr. Backus in IMay, 1870, hut was continued with ]\Ir. Estep until
1875, after which Mr. Burke practiced alone. From the first he took a
high standing among the leading lawyers of Northern Ohio, carrying
much important litigation Ijcfore the supreme courts of Ohio and adjoin-
ing states and the Supren\e Court of the United States. From 1872 to
1880 he .served as general counsel and director of the Cleveland & ^la-
honing Valley Railway Company, and during a portion of that i)eriod
as its president. From 1875 to 1881 he was general counsel and director
of the Cleveland, ColumI)us, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway, and
heeanie its president in 1S86. From 1881 to 188(j he was also presi-
dent of the Colum])us, Hocking Valley & Toledo Railway Company, and
during most of that period vice president of the Indianapolis & St.
Louis Railway Company; after 1886 president of the Toledo & Ohio
Central and Kanawha & ^Michigan, and after 1894, until his death in
1905, he was jn-esident of the Central Ontario Railway Company, besides
being at the head of .such large corporations as the Repuhlic Coal Com-
pany and on the directorate of the Canadian Copper Company, the
Anglo-American Iron Company, etc. In fact, at the time of his death,
ten years ago, there was no man in Oliio mort; prominent as a corpora-
tion lawyer or executive than Judge I'.urke.
AVasIIINGTON W. BdYNTON
Judge W. W. Boynton, who has now heen a continuous resident of
lOlyria for a decade, is in bis eighty-rouiih year and eoiinneneed ])rae-
,l\
2US HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY^
tice in his home town nearly sixty years ago. lie was born in Russia
Township, Lorain County, January 27, 1833, and is a son of Gen.
Lewis I), and Jlulli (Wcllman) iJoyntoii, both natives of .Maine and
representatives of ohl New 10nj,'land families. The founders of i)olli
the Loynton and Wellman families in Lorain County wore among the
first score of settlers in the northern part of Russia Township, which
was settled several years before Oberlin, in the southern part, was
founded. The mother died on tlie old homestead in January, 1840,
■wliile still in her early '30s; the father, who reached his seventieth year,
died in 1871. General Boynton was a leading farmer and citizen of
the county and attained such leadersliip in the old state militia that he
was appointed brigadier general.
The future judge, who was christened Washington Wallace Boyuton
was early trained for solidity, both physical and mental. II(! early
showed intellectual aptitude and accomplishments and, like otliers in
his position and of his temperament, taught in the district sciiool as a
young man, and later conducted a select institute in Amherst Town-
ship. He was also a school examiner for a time. During this period
he commenced his law studies under his uncle, Elbridge (J. Boynton,
then one of the repi*esentative lawyers of Elyria.
Mr. Boynton was admitted to the bar in 1856, established his resi-
dence in Elyria in 1857 and not long afterward formed a partnership
with Gen. L. A. Sheldon, with whom he practiced until 1861. In that
year his partner entered the Ihiion army as lieutenant colonel of the
Forty-second Ohio Volunteers and distinguished him.self in tiie Union
service. From the spring of 1859 until the autumn of 1863 Mr.
Boynton served as prosecuting attorney of Lorain County. During
that period he formed a partnership with John C. Ilale, but his health
had become so seriously impaired in 1863 that he relinquished his prac-
tice and sought rest and recuperation in the Nortliwest.
Somewhat benefitted by the eliange of climate aiul surroundings.
Judge Boynton returned to Elyria and was in partnersiiip witii Laertes
B. Smith until February, 1869, when Governor Hayes appointed him
judge of the Court of Common Pleas to succeed Judge Burke, resigned.
Thereupon Judge Boynton retired from the linn of Boynton and Smith.
At the ensuing fall election he was elected to fill Die vacancy, and
two years thereafter was chosen for the full term. In Octolx-r, 1876,
h(! was elected judge of tlie State S\ij)reme Couii, and took his seat on
lliat bench as one of tiie associate justices in I'V'bruary, 1877. Ill
health again comix'llcd him to resign in Novendier, 1881.
After ids retirement from the supreme bench, Judge Boynton located
in Cleveland, where his foriuei- hiw pai'tner, Jolin ('. Ilale, who had
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 209
succccdt'd him on the Coiuinon Pleas beach, in 1883, again joined him
in tlie i)nicliL'e of iheii- prol'i'ssion. During the succeeding lifteen years,
tlie liniis or JJoynton and Hale and Jioynlon, Hale and Ilorr, of which
lie was u senior partner, hecaiiie widely known throughout the state.
In 1888 Norton T. Ilorr had been admitted to the old partnership
and in 1892 Judge Hale had been elected to the Circuit bench and re-
tired from practice. For the succeeding five years Boynton and Horr
continued a large professional business, and on January 1, 1897, Judge
Boynton retired from the firm. For several years thereafter he devoted
himself to the trial of special cases, became largely a consulting attorney,
and finally retired from all active practice. At first he erected at
North Ividgeville, on the site of the birthplace and girlhood home of
his wife (formerly Betsey A. Terrell), a large and attractive residence.
There they maintained their home until 1906, when they removed to
Elyria and occupied their pi-esent spacious, elegant and homelike
estate.
Jndge Boynton has made a broad, stable and unusual record both
as a judge and a public legislator, although in the latter capacity his
career covers but three years; but they fell within the early and por-
tentious period of Reconstruction, in which he had the honor of playing
a leading part. From 1865 to 1867, inclusive, he represented Lorain
County in the State Legislature, and first offered the resolution eliminat-
ing the color line from the Constitution. On the first vote the resolution
was defeated in the House, but i)assed in the Senate. The measure was
then returned to the lower house, where it was adoptctl after a bitter
contest and, in the ensuing state election, defeated by popular vote.
Judge Boynton was a vigorous champion of the measure which lie
introduced, and not long afterward had the satisfaction of seeing it, in
all its essentials, become incorporated into the Constitution of the
United States. By the present state constitution, it is provided that
"every white male citizen of the United States" shall be entitled to
vote. An amendment was proposed by the Fourth Constitutional Con-
vention of 1912 to omit the word "white," but it was voted down by
the people, probably because they did not understand what it meant.
Colored people vote in Ohio now, but on account of the Constitution of
the United States which accords them that privilege.
John C. Haijo
John C. TLile, Judge Boynton 's old law partner, who also succeeded
him as Common Pleas judge in 1877, had no superior in Lorain County
as u strong and honorable member of the profession, whetlitir on the
(0,<|
m! J'
210 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
bench or at the bar. lie was a New Ilampsliire fanner boy, but fitted
liiiiisc'lf for Dartmouth College and graduated therefrom in 1857 when
t\V(;Mty-six years of ag{\ To o})tain his education In; had burdened him-
self with a $1,000 debt — wiiich he paid, with interest. Immediately after
his graduation from- Dartmouth (Jollege, he settled in Cleveland, and
during the succeeding three years taught in its public schools and
studietl law.
In the meantime J\Ir. Hale had married a good Cleveland girl ; was
admitted to the bar in July, 1861, and in the following October located
at Elyria for practice. Two years afterward, lie had so proved his
worth that he was elected prosecuting attorney, succeeding AV. W.
Boynton, with whom he had been in partnership, and held the oftice for
three terms, of two years each. During that busy period he also held
the office of register of bankruptcy, continuing thus until the position
was abolishe/1 by the consolidation of districts. lie was an active and
influential delegate to tiie Constitutional Convention of 1873 and served
as judge of the Coui't of Couunon i^leas from 1877 until 1883, when
he returned to Cleveland to become again associated with Judge Boynton,
who had located in tliat city for practice after his retii'ement from the
bench of tlie State Supreme Court. In 1892 the partnership of Boynton,
Hale and Ilorr (Norton T.) was dissolved, because of Mr. Hale's elec-
tion to the circuit judgeship.
EaHLY BUULIC JtJDGlCS
At the time of the organization of the Probate Court in 1852, the
term of the probate judge was thi'ee years and remained that way until
1905, when l)y an amendment of the Constitution the terms of various
county, district and state officers was adjusted so as to have those
officers elected in the even years and the municipal and township officers
elected in the odd years. By that amendment the terms of the Supreme
Court and Circuit Court judges were fi.xed for six years, Common
Pleas judges for six years and the Probate Court judges for four years.
Since that time tjie tei'iii of the i)robate judge has been four years.
"William F. Lockwoou
William V. Loekwood, wlio succeeded Phileiiu)n Bliss as judge of
the Pro])ate Court in 1854, was one of the ablest lawyers and judges
ever coiuiected with the profession in Lorain County. TL; was a native
of (!oiinecticu1, spent his youth in New Yoi'k ami in 1841, when just
approiK-iiing mnnlnxxi, sellled in I'llyria luid became a law sludent in
!<» IfO A**i">t'
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 211
tlie offici' of Ilainliii and Hliss. Tn llu; following year he was adniitled
1o the har; served as proseeuting attorney of the eounty in 1844-8,
and in hSH'i went to lialtiniore as a deiej,^a1e to the; Whij,' Convention
whieh nominated Wiidiidd Scott for the presi(h;ney.
After serving as prohate judge from 1854 to 1856, Mr. Loekwood
moved to Omaha, Nehraska, where he residetl two years; then located
in Dakota City, Nehraska Territory. He served as one of the Federal
judges from April, 1861, until Nehraska was admitted to statehood in
1867. lie was then nominated hy President Johnson as United States
district judge for tiie State of Nehraska, hut was not confirmed hy tiie
Senate. Juilge Loekwood then heeame a resident of Toledo, hecame
(luite prominent as a democrat and was elected judge of the Connnon
Pleas Court in 1878.
As to otiier early prohate judges, Lionel A. Sheldon was appointed
to that l)ench when Judge Loekwood resigned in 1856, and he was in
ofticefrom Novendjer 25th of that year until Fehruary 8, 1858, when
Charles II. Doolittle was commi.ssioned hy Governor Chase to succeed
him. Then came John AV. Steele in Decem])er, 1867. lie served until
his resignation in June, 1871, when Laertes B. Smith hecame prohate
judge.
Lionel A. Sheldon
Judge Sheldon came of a New York family, his parents ])ringing him
to La Grange, Lorain County, when he was ahout three years old. lie
ohtained his legal education in the office of Clark and Burke, Elyria,
and at the Poughkeepsie (New York) Law School, heing admitted to
practice hefore the State Supreme Court in July, 1S51. He commenced
practice at Elyria as a partner of John M. Vincent, and was afterward
associated, at different times, with George B. Lake, L. B. Smith and
W. AV. Boynton. After retiring from the pro])ate judgesliip, wiiich he
held in 1856-8, he returned to private practice and remained in P^lyria
until the opening period of the Civil war.
In August, 1861, Judge Sheldon went to the Union front as captain
in the Second Ohio Cavalry, and was sul)se(]uently a major in the same
regiment. At the organization of the Forty-second Oiiio Volunteer
Infantry he was commissioned its lieutenaid colonel and on tiie ])romo-
lioM of its colonel, James A. Gai'lield, hecame colonel oT llie regiment.
After serving thus until neai' the close of tiie war, lie was advanced
to the rank of lii'cvet lirigadier general.
At the close of the AVar of the Rehellion General Siieldon settled in
New Orleans. He hecame interested in ])olitics; was elected to Congress
212 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
in 38G8, 1870 and 1872, uiul in 187G wjis one of the i)rcsi(lc'ntial doctors
from Louisiana in the famous Ilayus-Tilden controversy. While resid-
ing in New Orleans permanently, he spent liis siniim(;rs on his larye farm
in i^a Orange, wliieh had been the family homestead for so many years.
After leaving? New Orleans he was appointed receiver of one of the great
western railroads, served as governor of New Mexico under appoint-
ment by President Garfield and afterward nioved to California.
Charles IL Doolittle was born in IMiddlebury, Vermont, October 20,
1814, son of Judge Joel Doolittle of the Supreme Court of Vermont.
He was educated at IMiddlebury College, lie came to Ohio in 1840
and practiced law in Huron. In 1842 he formed a law partnership with
Russell & Case of Unionville, Ohio, where he married, December 25,
1842, Elizabeth Kemp. In December, 1850, he came to Elyria where,
with tile exception of a few months, tiie remainder of his life was spent.
In 1851 he was elected justice of the peace. About 1858 he took the
office of probate judge to which he had been elected, which office he
held until 1867. Then after this he had a severe illness which made
him an invalid for a couple of years, and his first activity was an out-
of-door business, which took him from Elyria for several months. With
better health he resumed his former business, and in 1873 was estab-
lished in a law ofifiee in Elyria. In 1874 he was again elected nuigistrate
which ofifiee he held until his death, January 10, 1890.
John W. Steele
John W. Steele was admitted to the bar ju.st before the opening of
the Civil war, served throughout that period and was probate judge
for about 3i/j years, from 1867 to 1871. He moved to Oberlin in 1877
and practiced there.
Laertes B. Smith
Laertes B. Smith was admitted to the bar in Elyria, during Septem-
ber, 1858. He practiced and held the office of justice of peace until
June, 1871, wiieu he was appointed probate judge to fill the vacancy
caused by the resignation of John W. Steele. He was elected to that
office the same year for the unexpired terra and held the judgeship, by
successive re-elections, until February 9, 1882.
Prosecuting Attorneys Previous to 1880
The office of jirosecuting attorney of a county always draws some of
its best, lej^nil Inlfiil, of I he younger class, and is generally considered a
BttBhiuod fflOl'l
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 213
stcijpiiig-stoiie to a judgeship. Such expectations have a basis of I'act
in tile list of tliese officials wlio served the county in the early period
of its corporate life.
Woolsey Welles, the first prosecuting attorney of Lorain County,
served from the organization of the county in ]\Iay, 1824, for about two
years, when he was succeeded by Frederick Whittlesey, a young man
from Connecticut who had just opened an office in town. With the
exception of a short break, when J. W. Willey, was prosecutor, "Sir.
Wiiittlesey held the office until 1835, when he departed for a broader
field in Cleveland; during his stay in Elyria he also served two terms
in the Legislature. In Cleveland, where he resided until hi.s death in
1854, he held the oflice of clerk of the courts of Cuyahoga County ; was
also an associate judge of tiie Court of Common Pleas and represented
Cuyahoga County in the State Senate.
For a short time, while in Elyria, Mr. Whittlesey edited the Lorain
Gazette, the first newspaper published in the county and which was
established in 1829. His example in this respect was followed by quite
a number of the young lawyers who early commenced practice at the
county seat, as they were able thereby not only to add somewhat to a
precarious pi'ofcssional income but to forward any public ambitions
wlii<'li liiey miglit harbor.
iMJward S. Hamlin, a i)artner of ]Mr. Whittlesey, succeeded his asso-
ciate as prosecuting attorney in 1835. lie held the office for about a
year and in 1837 moved to Cleveland, but soon returned to Elyria,
where from 1840 to 1845 ho was in partnership with Albert A. Bliss.
During the later two years of that period he served an unexpired term
in Congress, having just completed a second term as prosecuting at-
torney. Sul).se(juently, William F. Lockwood was associated with him
and the connection continued until Mr. Hamlin left Elyria in 1849. For
some years he practiced his profession in Cincinnati.
Elijah Parker, who was one of Woolsey Welles' competitors when the
county was organized, siiceeeded IMr. Hamlin as prosecuting attorney in
1836. He served for a year. ]\Ir. Parker was a Vermonter, was in
rather i)oor lieaUii and was not in active practice after 1854, although
he continued to reside in Elyria until his death in April, 1859. He
was justice of the peace for several terms, as well as prosecuting attorney
in 1836-7.
Jokij Tiffany
Joel Tiffany, 'Mr. Parker's successor, was one of the most lirilliant
men who ever practiced in Elyria. He was a native of Connecticut,
apjieai's to liave (irst practiced in Medfna, and to have come into view
214 IIISTOIJY OF LORAIN COUNTY
at Klyriii in IH'A'). As tlit- court records indicate, he made tlie county
scat his lieadfjuarters until 3848, iluriii^- uiiich period he served as
prosecuting attorney for the tlirce terms commencing ]8!j7, 1841 and
1845. .Mr. Tiffany was associated witii L. G. Byingtou for a short time
and with E. II. Leonard for about two years. His professional reputa-
tion rests both on his record as prosecuting attorney of Lorain County
and his works as an autiior and couipiler. Upon leaving lillyria he
went to I'ainesville and sul)sequently to New York City. From 186;j to
180!) he resided in Albany, where he was reporter of the Court of
Appeals of New York, publishing during that period twelve volumes
of reports and issuing, either alone or in collaboration, such standard
works as "Tiffany and Smith's New York Practice," "The Law of
Trusts and Trustees, as Administered in England and America,"
"Forms Adapted to tlie Practice and Special Pleadings in New York
Courts of Kecord," and "A Treatise on Government and Constitutional
Law, According to th^ American Theory." From Albany ]Mr. Tiffany
moved to Chicago.
]\Ir. Tiffany had many friends and admirers in Lorain County, not-
witlistanding his erratic ways. One of them thus touches on iiis local
career: "]Mr. Tiffany approached nearer to l)eing a genius, as liiat
word is oi'dinarily understood, than any otJier practitioner of the l^orain
bar. Willi acute and accurate perceptions, great mental powers of
acquisition and assimilation, a pi"odigious memory and, withal, an elo-
quence seldom equalled, he was extremely well equipped for all foi'cnsic
encounters. In the locally-celebrated counterfeit cases, i\]r. Tiffany
exerted his great powers to their utmost and made for himself a reputa-
tion that will long endure in Lorain County. These were tried in
1838-9, when he was prosecuting, and no fewer tlian fourteen per.sous
were sent to the penitentiary for being imi)licated in the making and
issuing of counterfeit money.
"The great qualities we have mentioned were, however, handicapped
by an nnsteadiness of purpose and lack of application to his profession,
wliich rendered tliem of comiiaratively little value to their possessor.
He engaged in a variety of enterprises outside of his profession, while
in Elyria, none of wliich proved profitable, while they pi'evented him
from I'eacJiing tliat success in his [)rofession wliicji he miglit otherwise
have allaincil."
Tile (h'cade after Mi'. Tilfaiiy's (list Ici'm was lilh-d out, in the prose-
cuting attorney's oltice, by 10. II. Leonard, Tiffany, Horace A. Tenny,
TilVany again, and AVilliam F. liOckwood, afterward jn'obate judge.
lllSTOItr OK I.ORAIN COlJiNTY 215
John i\r. Vincknt
-luliii M. Vincent .succeeded Mr. Ijoekwnod in 1H.^)(), Hcrved Ivvo (ton-
Kceiilivc lei-nis, ami eoinnienecd lii.s tiiird Icnii in \HM. lie was an able
and i)Oi)ular.la\vyer, haudieai)i)L'd hy a frail eonslitution. While a youth
he eanie from Mas.sachusetts to Ohio; began his collegiate course at
Oberlin, but completed it at Union College, Schenectady, New York,
from which he graduated in 1846. Returning to Elyria he entered the
office of II. D. Clark as a law student, and was admitted to the bar
at the State Supreme Court in the county seat, August 11, 1848. About
a year afterward he was elected to liis first term as prosecuting attorney.
In the autumn of 1859, after several years of practice, somewhat inter-
rupted by failing health, he was elected to the lower hou.se of the
State Legislature and served in that l)ody during the se.ssion of 1860-1.
In the summer of 1863 lie went to Minnesota, hoping to l)e physically
strengthened by a cluxnge of clinuite, but died in Milwaukee, while
journeying toward his Elyria home.
Joseph II. Dickson
Jcseph II. Dickson, who followed jNIr. Vincent as prosecuting attorney
of tlie county in January, 1858, was a young lawyer who had been
admitted to the bar at Elyria in 1852 and several years afterward located
at Wellington. AVhile residing in Elyria he was in partnership with
:Mr. Vincent. At the conclusion of his two-year term as prosecuting
attorney, on the last day of December, 1855, he moved to AYellington,
whei-e, for years he continued in practice and became a pul)lic character
of consideral)le prominence. He represented Lorain County in the
Eifty-eiglith and Fifty-ninth general assemblies, which covered the
period from January, 1868, to ]\Iay, 1871. During that period he voted
with the great majority for Ohio's adoption of the joint resolution
ratifying the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United
States.
Other Eauly Prosecuting Attorneys
Ceorge Olmsted, who had come from New York as a practicing
attorney and located in Elyria in 1853, followed Mr. Vincent at the
conclusion of his second term, iiis own service connnencing in January,
1858. After liolding oftice a little over a year, in March, 185!), he resigned
ami moved to Indianapolis. After a year spent in that city he returned
to i'llyria, wl:en' lie prai'ticed until 1862; then four years of absence
216 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
preceded his return to the county seat. Afterward he liekl the office
oi' justice of tile i)eaee for a uuinher of years.
Wlien i\Ir. Olmsted resi<jned as prosecuting attorney in ]\Iarcii, 185!),
W. W. Boyntou was appointed to till tlie vacancy and was regularly
elected in the fall, serving, through two successive re-elections, until his
resignation in the fall of 1863. John C. Hale, his law partner, suc-
ceeded him, and held the office for six years. The fine judicial record
of these two friends and a.ssociates in the law has already been pre-
sented.
Charles W. Johnston, Judge Hale's successor as prosecuting at-
torney, held the position for two terms, being elected in 1869 and 1871.
He formerly practiced medicine in La Grange, Lorain Count}', but
linally preferred law and entered the ranks of that profession in 185!).
In that year he located at Elyria and formed a partnership with Phile-
mon liliss under the name of Bliss and Jolmston, which continued until
Judge Bliss moved to Dakota in 1861. ]\Ir. Johnston resided in Elyria
for many years afterward, engaged in active practice.
George P. ]\retcalf, who succeeded Mr. Johnston, was admitted to tlie
bar in 1869. He was elected pro.secuting attorney in 1873, 1875 and
1877.
Pioneer Lawveus, Pure and Simi'LE
After the names of those early members of the Lorain County bar
who became prosecuting attorneys and judges have been eliminated, as
in the foregoing pages, the list is reduced to rather small proportions.
Horace D. Clark
The most noteworthy case of really able and popular lawyers who
steadfa.stly refused official or judicial honors, was the veteran attorney
Horace D. Clark. As previously stated, the only position ever held by
him which could approach the official class was that of delegate to the
constitutional convention of (adopted by that body in) 1851. His was
such a rare case and his personality became so dear to the members
of the bar, many of whom came to owe their start and advancement to
his interest and kindness, that the following sketch is (juoted from the
])en of one who wi'otc; wliile lie was still living in Moutri'al, Caiiiida, in
his seventy-fifth year, the abandonment of his pra(;tice and his (le|)arture
lliither dating Fi'om 1865: "Il<)ra(!e 1). (Jhirk, one of tiu; lawyers who
had tlui largest continuous practice in Lorain county, was born ^lay
22, 1805, at Granby, Conneclicut, whei'e his niollu'i- slili resides at the
IIISTOKY OF l.ORAIN COUNTY 217
4
age of ninety-four years. lie went to district school suininers until he
was eij^Mit years of af^'c and in the winter until he was sixteen, when he
was jiiaccd in a country slon-, serving; his ai)i)renticcsliii) and afterward
heiiif,' received as a jjartncr. in this husiness he continued four years,
at tile enil of which he says, in a recent letter, '1 found we had lost
so much by bad debts and the stealings of clerks that there was l)Ut
little left, and 1 quit the business in disgust.' lie studied law one year
in Connecticut and in November 17, 1832, started for Ohio, reaching
Hudson, that state, in December. He at once entered the law school
of Judge Van R. Humphrey and a year later was admitted to the bar
by the Supreme Court at Columbus.
"On the Fourth of July, 1834, ]\Ir. Clark opened a law otKce in the
soutiieast corner room of the Court House in Klyria. He continued to
practice in Elyria from that time for about thirty years, having during
a large portion of tiiat time the most extensive practice in the county —
a practice never approached in magnitude by more than one rival at
a time. A. A. BYias, Ilandin and Bliss, Joel Tiffany, Benedict and
ijeonard, Hamlin and Lockwooil, and AV. V. Lockwood alone, were at
different times, his nearest comjietitors ; but IMr. ('lark steadily main-
tained llie leading position lie had gained until after he ceased to reside
in Klyria; for, although he continued to practice there until 186-1 lie
moved witii his family to Cleveland in 1851.
"In 1845 ^Ir. Clark took as a partner Cyrus Olney, who came from
Iowa where he had been in practice. 'He was about twenty-eight,' says
^Ir. ('lark, 'and the best si)ecial pleader of his age I ever saw.' In
]Mar(h, 1849, he formed a partnership with Stevenson Burke, who had
been admitted to the bar the August i)revious, having been a student
in iMr. Clark's office. His partnershii) continued until about June, 1852.
John M. Vincent and John V. Coon were also students with ]Mr. Clark
during his practice in Elyria. He was an excellent lawyer, although
not especially an elofjuent advocate."
Other Fellow Practitioners
Reuben Mussey, the father of Henry E. jMussey, practiced iu Elyria
from 1825 to 1837, subsequently residing for .siiveral years at Kish-
waukee, Illinois, where he died in 184;i.
S. J. Andrews was one of the accomplished lawyers from Cleveland
who, in the late '2()s, practiced in the courts at Elyria. For a short
time he was judge of the old Superior Court in that city, and was also
a iiieiiiber from (Juvahoga (!ouiily of the constitutional conventions of
218 IIISTOKY OF LOKAIN COIJXTV
IcSno iiiid 1S7.'5. He was Uni'^ rciiiemlicvcd i'or his ohxiuciicc, (luick wit
and ^■('iillcniaiily inirl li.
'rill- pciiod from \H:',\ 1o IHlf), willi lar^(! increase in husiiicss and
population in the county, witnessed tiie advent of about a score of new
lawyers to tlie Elyria bar. Among these were Edward S. Ilaniliu,
Horace D. Clark, Joel Tiffany, Albert A. Bliss, Philemon Bliss, Judsou
J). Benedict, Robert .McEachron and William F. Lockwood.
A. A. Bliss
Among the ablest on that list, and who has lieretofore been merely
mentioned, was A. A. Bliss, brother of Judge Piulemon Bliss. Before
he was twenty Albert had mastered a trade and secured a fair educa-
tion. He then attended the Oneida Institute, at \Viiitestown, New York,
which had recently l)een organized on the manual training plan. In
tlie spring of 18U3, having recently attained his twenty-second year,
A. A. Bliss commenced tlie .study of law at I^lyria in the office of
Whittlesey and Ilandin, and also engaged in newspaper work. He was
admitted to the l)ar in Cleveland during September, lS;5o, and in tlie
following spring moved to that city, where, through the i)olitical cam-
paign of that year he eiUtcd tiie Daily (Jazctte.
.Mr. Bliss returned to lOlyria in KS:57 and practiced his profession
there for ten years. From 1840 to 1845 he was in i)artnership with
E. S. Hamlin, and the lirm prosperctl. Tlie steady increase of his law
business and his reputation as a lawyer were much retarded Iiy growing
interest and prominence in politics. In 18:5!), 1840 and 1841 lie was
elected to the State Legislature and spent much time in the editing
and management of i)olitical newspapers. In the winter of 1846-7 he
was elected state treasurer, holding that office until January, 1852.
Although he moved to Columbus, in the spring of 1847, he kept in touch
with his Elyria practice through his partnership with Sylvester Bagg,
which continued from 1846 to 1849. ]\Ir. Bliss returned to p]lyria late
in 1852, where he remained until the spring of 1863. From that time
until 1874 he engaged in l)usiness as a resident of Jackson, Michigan,
but returned to iiis law practice in tiiat city, and became prominent in
various pul)lic matters connected with municii)al and state institutions.
JlIDSON I). Bkn'kdict
-liidsdu I). Beiirdicl came to lOlyria from Medina in 18:58 an<l was
engaged in i)i'actice for alioni ten years therearier. At dilVerent times
he was in i)artnership with I']. il> Leonard, Joel TilVany, Kobert Me-
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUXTY 219
EiK'lirou and Joshua ^Slyt-rs. About 1848 ^h: lieni-dict abandoned the
hiw and became a Canipljellile preaehei", si)endin^ many years near
r.iiHalo, New Yoi'lc, as a missionary of the Chfistian (Jimreli. lli; died
in Canada in the late '70s.
]\Iykon R. Keith
In October, 18:52, .Alyron ]{. Keith, as a boy, was Itrouj^ht from New
York l)y liis father, Col. Ansel Keith, and settled in Elyria. A year
after his admission to tiie bar (1841) he moved to Cleveland, where he
continued in practice for four years. In January, 1846, he returned
to lOlyria, and was appointed clerk of the courts for Lorain County,
liius olTiciatinj? until llie sjn'in^^ of ]8r)2. In August of that year lie
returned to Cleveland, where, for many sul)se(iuent years be was register
in bankruptcy ami an active memlier of tlie l>ar.
Josmi.V ]\lVEI!S
i'rioi- to 1880 Josluui Myci's lield llie I'ecord foi' eonliiiuous lengtii of
pi'actiee in Lorain County. Although lie was an active member of tiie
liar two years longer than II. I). Chirk, he never attained nuich i)i'()mi-
nence or establisiied a large i)raetiee. Mr. Myers eanu- to the l)ar a))OUt
1844 and remained in Elyria until his death in 1877. lie was iirst
associated witli Judson 1). ISt'nedict and tiien with liobert .McEaehron.
From 18r)0 to 1854 his partner was Judge I5i.sseil, of I'ainesvilie, in tlie
linn of Bissell and IMyers. That was the i)eriod of ins greatest profes-
sional prosperity. Wiien alone, bis practice was never large. During
the later years of INIr. Myers' life, he lield the office of justice of the
peace for a term, securing his election luirlly tlirougli the anti-
temperance excitement, or opposition to tlie Crusade, in 1874.
John V. Coon
Jolin V. Coon, although he never nuule a distinguished place for
liimself at the liar, was one of its l)est known veterans. He was admitted
to tlie l)ar at Elyi'ia in 1846 and i)racticed for many years. He did not,
however, devote himself exclusively to his profession, Imt engaged in
farming, dealing in real estate and investing in various maiiufacturing
♦'uterprises. As a lawyer, be was liest known in the field of real estate
traiisaclions. Some time in tlic early '8()s lie iviiiovcd from lOlyi'ia to
I'.iiif b'apiils, Kansas, where he had iiiv<'slments in real estate and water
p(i\\ei\ and aflerwards died liieiv. Mr. CodU was pari ieiilarly known in
220 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Lorain County as questioning tlie titles at the nioutli of ]?laek River
now ill tlie City of Lorain, and eauscd very iiiueli lilij^ation over the
titles licre. 'i'liat was (|iiitc a fcatui'c in Mr. (Joun's life in JOlyria, from
about ]871 up to tlie lime that he moved to Kansas.
"Foreign" Practitioners
It is said that up to ahout 1845 few of the praetieing lawyers of the
Lorain bar were able to make a living by confining them.selves strictly
witliin pi'ofessioual limits, nearly all engaging in newspaper or business
enterprises. AlthougJi the relative amount of law liusiness transacted
by foreign attorneys after the '80s was much less than during tlie earlier
period, a large number of attorneys from Ch'veland and otlier outside
points practiced oceasionally in Lorain County. Besides 8. J. Andrews,
of that city, may be mentioned in that class W. Sillimau, of Wooster,
and C. L. Lattimer, of Norwalk.
Accessions from 1845 to 1860
The period from 1845 to 1860 witnessed an almost complete change
in the personnel of the bar. About thirty new members joined it during
lliat period, and at its close riiilemon Hliss remained the only resident
lawyer who had begun practice jirior to 1845, althougli Mr. Clai'k, then
residing in Cleveland, si ill practiei-d in the courts at Fiyria. Some of
the ablest members of the bar were arrivals of those years. Of the
number were Stevenson Burke, John I\I. Vincent, Sylvester Hagg, Lionel
A. Siieldon, George H. Lake, Washington W. Hoyntou. Laertes B. Smith,
Edward ]). Ilolbrook, John ]\L Langston, John V. Coon, Charles H.
Doolittle and Jose])h IL Dickson.
Sylvester Bagg
Of those not particularly mentioned, Sylvester Bagg attained much
prominence after leaving P^lyria. lie commenced practice in Elyria in
1845, having come from .Massachusetts a short time before. lie had not
tiien reached his twenty-second year. Mi*. Bagg remained at the coiuity
seat for ten years, practicing alone or in i)artnershi|i witli A. A. Bliss,
10<lmiiM(l A. West or (ieorgc Ohiisted. 'I'o maki' Ixitli ends meet
etpially, he engaged at limes in the drug and insurance business. In
1S57 lie located at Watei'ioo, Iowa, made a good Union iTcoi-d in tlu;
Civil war; served as circuit .iudge from 1868 to 1878 and, for a iiuniber
of years tlicreaflei', as distriel judge.
I>^i
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 221
Attained Pkominence Abroad
Gcoi-fcc- 15. r^ako, who praclicod from 1851 to 1857, moved to Omaha
and ,sul).si'(iiU'iitly oecuiiifd a seat ui)oii llie heiieh of the Nebraska
Supreme Court.
Houston II. Poppleton, who first studied law with Judge Burke at
Elyria in 1858-9, commenced practice in 1860, formed a i)artner.ship
with liis preceptor and in 187:} became general attorney of the Cleve-
land, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway Company, of
which Judge Burke was the executive head.
p]dward D. Ilolbrook is another of the Elyria lawyers of that period
who attained his greatest prominence in tlie far West. He commenced
practice at Elyria in 1858, the year after his admission to the bar,
and renuiined thus engaged until the spring of 1861. He then went to
California, where he remained studying carefully the mining laws until
May, 1862; at that time he moved to Idaho Territory, where he rapidly
acquired a large practice and rose to public prominence. From 1865 to
1869 he represented the territory as a delegate to the Thirty-ninth
and Fortieth congresses. In June, 1870, he was murdered at Idaho
City by Cliarles H. Douglas.
Oberlin Lawyers
Elyria, as the county seat, M-as the logical headquarters of the litiga-
tion brought to the courts of the county, but as there was considerable
local business at such population centers as Oberlin, Lorain and AVelliug-
ton, several of the enterprising firms established outside branches.
Philemon Bliss and Washburn Saft'ord formed a partnership of that
nature in 1855, its third mend^er, the Oberlin representative, being R.
H. Allen.
J. AV. Steele, who served as probate judge of Lorain County in 1867-
71, located at Oberlin in 1877, and practiced there for some time there-
after.
John M. Langston
But perhaps the ablest member of the bar who ever practiced at
Oberlin, and really a high credit to the profession irrespective of color
lines, was .lohii ^I. Langston, a re[)resentative of tiu; colored race. For
twelve years he enjoyed a large business, chiefly among his own peoi)le,
was honored by the entire comuuinily in various pul)lie ways, and iinally
achieved a .substantial reputation in several lines of the national service,
as will more fully appear I'l-Dm Ihe biogi'aphit; facts which follow.
{ : ' ■ !(> YPor^ if
222 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
John ]\[ereer Laiigstoii was born in Louisa County, Vir^nia, on the
]4th of Dcceniljci-, 182!), and at tlie age of six was einani'ii)att'd from
shivery. In 184!), wlien hut twenty, lie graduated from 01)ei'lin College
in the regular literary course, ami in IH'y.i from tlic tiieologieal depart-
ment. He reeeived the following degrees: A. M., Oherlin, ]852; LL. I).,
Howard University. Having studied law, he was admitted to the bar
of -Ohio in 1854, and praetieed his profession at Oherlin until 18G9.
During that period he was clerk of several townships in Ohio, being tlie
lirst colored nuui elected to any olliee by popular vote. He was also a
member of the Board of Education of Oherlin.
In 1869 ^Ir. Langston was called to a profes.sorshii) of law in Howard
University, Washington, which had been organized two years previous,
under the auspices of the National Govermnent, for the benetit of his
race and which had been founded along the same lines which had given
Oherlin so wide a fame. Professor Langston became dean of the faculty
of law, of which he was one of the organizers, and remained at its head
for seven years. President Grant then appointed him a member of the
Board of Health of the District of Columbia, of which he was elected
secretary in 1875. hi 1877-85 he was United States minister and consul
general to Hayti, ami on liis return to this country was ai)pointed pi'esi-
dent of the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, at Petersl)urg.
In addition to various addresses and pa])ers on j)olitieal, biographical,
literaiy and scientific subjects, Professor Langston was the author of
a vohime of select addresses entitled "Freedom and Citizenship," i)ub-
lished in Washington, 1883. He died at Wasliington, District of Colum-
ijia, Novemljer 15, 18!)7.
The Obeijlin-Weujngton Rescue Case
One of the most famous cases in which either I\Ir. Langston or any
other lawyer in Lorain County was identified was that known to history
as the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Case, and the al)]e and learned colored
attorney ])articipated in it not only as an advocate ])ut as one of the
derendanls convicted of the conspiracy to rescue a negro fugitive from
the hands of his captors (including United States officials) while en
route to ills southern master. It all hapixiied in the spi-ing of 185S and
constituted tlie last attempt to recover a slave in Nortiiei'n Ohio under
llie law of 1850. The i'aels were lliese: .Idhii I'riec, a riigilive slave
from Kentucky, had been some lime in Oberliii, when liy » rwm: he was
s<'ize(I by the United States marshal and bis deputy, accompanied by two
K'erit iiekiaiis wlio represented his master. The slave was di'iven ovei-
to Wellington, eight miles iiway, where he was made a |)risoner at Wads-
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 223
wortli's Hotel, tlio dcsigrn being to take him fSouth by tlic first train and
re-iiilrodiiec iiini to shivery.
It ha|)|)('n('(l at tliis eiilieal time there was a lart^e crowd at Wcl-
iingtoii, attracted by a iii'e, and as soon as they received word of the
state of afifairs at tiie liotei, with re-enforcements from Oberlin tiiey sur-
rounded the temporary prison and rescued llie fugitive. Tiie grand
jury of tlie United States District Court tiiereupon indicted thirteen
persons in Wellington and twenty-four in Oljerlin — all leading citizens
— for aiding in tlie rescue, tlieir cases being called at Cleveland on April
5th. The AVellington defendants, who were considered more as assistants
than principals in the rescue of the slave, were each fined $20
and costs and sent to jail for twenty-four hours. Simon Bushnell, of
Oberlin, and j\lr. Langston, who made a strong sjjeeeli defemling his
course, were eonvicteil and sentenced-;— tlie former to sixty days in prison
and a fine of $600, and the latter to a $100 fine and twenty days' sen-
tence. Twelve of the Oberlin men remained in jail at Cleveland, but
all of the prisoners, it is said, had a rather enjoyaljle time.
The result of these convictions was to arou.se tlie people throughout
Xorthei'ii Oliio who were oj)posed to slavery, and on the 24th of ^lay
an immense mass meeting was held at Cleveland to give expression to
the prevailing .sentiment. Hon. Joshua R. Giddings, Governor (Jiiase
and others addres.sed the meeting and the feelings of the community
were aroused to a high pitch of excitement. Visitors came in throngs
from all parts of the city to .see the prisoners, syin])atiiize wilh them
and make their imprisonment comfortable. One of tlie most remarkable
demonstrations was in favor of ]\Ir. Fitch, of Olierlin, who had been
superintendent of the Congregational Sunday school there for sixteen
years. The children, numliering 400, came to Cleveland in a body, fill-
ing the jail and the corridors during tiieir visit to their beloved super-
intendent.
President James H. Fairchild, of Oberlin College, thus descriljos an
attempt to get two of the prisoners from the jurisdiction of the Federal
Court through the agency of the State Supreme Court: "A writ of
habeas corpus was granted by one of the judges of the Supreme Court,
commanding the sheriff to bring Busimell and Langston before that
court tliat tlie reason for their imiirisonmeiit might be considered. The
case was ably argued at C'olumbiis for a week, but the court, tiiree to
two, declined 1() grant a release. This was a severe blow In the men in
jail. They had coiinled wilh iim(!li eonlidenee upon relief from that,
(liiarler. It is idle 1o speculale upon the possible resiills if a singh;
judge had held a different opinion. Salmon P. Chase was governor at
the lime, and it was well understood that lie would sustain a decision
224 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
reU-asing llie prisoners by all tlie powers at his command; and the
United Status CJovernment was as I'uUy committed to the execution ol"
the Fugitive Slave Law. This would have placed Ohio in conflict with
tli(! (iciicral (Jovenimeiit in defense of State Rif^hts, and if the l)arty
of frcciloiii tiiroiioiioiil tlu; Norlli liad rallied, as seiJined possible, the
war migiil iiave come in 1858 instead of 18G1, with a secession of the
northern instead of the southern states. A single vote apparently turned
the scale, and after a little delay the party of freedom took possession
of the government and the party of slavery became the seceders."
But as no sufficient proof of title to the slave, John Price, had been
presented by the claimant who had issued his power of attorney to the
Keiituckians, on the Gtli of July, 1858, the prisoners were all released.
Tile four men who had seized him and had been indicted on the charge
of kidnai)iug in Lorain County, I)eeame alarmeil. So, by mutual con-
sent, all further proceedings were dropped.
On their arrival at their home town, on the same day, the Oberlin
men were escorted to the First Congregational Church where, until
midnight, the people of the village gave way to their enthusiasm in the
form of song and prayer.
C.VME IN THE '60s AND '70s
Of a later generation of lawyers than tliose mentioned was Elizur 0.
Johnson, who was admitted to the bar in 1861 and resided in La Grange
until he was elected county auditor in 1869. At the conclusion of his
term in 1876 he commenced practice at the county seat. Other lawyers
who commenced practice at the Lorain County bar in the '60s include
Iral L. Webster, whose headquarters were at Oberlin ; Norman L. John-
son, Charles Downing and P. II. Boynton. Those of the '70s embrace
such as J. M. Ilord, Winslow L. Fay, E. II. Ilinman (North Amherst),
David J. Nye, Walter F. Ilerrick, who had previously been a colonel
in the Union army and a member of the State Legislature for several
terms; John II. Faxon, who had .served two terms as sheriit" in the '-lOs
and two terms in the Legislature in the '70s just before commencing
practice in Elyria; G. C. Jeffries, E. C. jManter and J. C. Hill; Fred
Webster, who also had an Oberlin office; and Roswell G. Ilorr, formerly
county clerk.
J. C. Hill
Mr. Hill was admitted to the bar about 1862, came to Elyria with
Hon. John C. Hale. After practicing a short time he went into the
cattle business, afterwards into the nursery business, and in 1872 helped
to organize the predecessor of the Savings Deposit Bank & Trust Com-
Jo 'lOr-H'.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUxNTY 225
pany and has coutinued as cashier and president of that bank up to
the present time. He lias now retired as president, but is chairman
of the hoard of direetors, an honorary j^osition. While lie has not been
in active practice of the hiw, lie has done most of the legal business
of the bank.
ROSWELL G. IIOHR
Roswcll G. Ilorr was clerk of the Common Pleas Court of Lorain
County from 1S5S to 1864, and at the expiration of his term was ad-
mitted to practice. lie formed a partnership with John C. Hale, but
after two years of practice moved to Missouri and subsequently to East
Saginaw, Michigan. He became prominent in the polities of the latter
state and served creditably in Congress, being elected the fii'st time in
November, 1878.
Retrospect of the Eaui.ieu Bar
Al)out 1880, the following suggestive and interesting review was
made of the Lorain County bar: "Ten of its meml)ers have been
elevated to the bench (aside from probate judges) and held iifteen dif-
ferent judicial positions, viz. : Frederick Whittlesey, common pleas judge
in Oliio; Philemon Bliss, common pleas judge in Ohio, territorial chief
justice of Dakota and supreme judge of Missouri; William F. Lockwood,
territorial judge of Nebraska and common pleas judge in Ohio; Eleazer
Wakeley, territorial judge of Nebraska; Cyrus Gluey, judge in Iowa;
S. Bagg, circuit and district judge in Iowa; S. Burke, common pleas
judge in Ohio; George B. Lake, supreme judge of Nebraska; W. W.
Boynton, common pleas and supreme judge in Ohio, and John C. Hale,
common pleas and circuit judge in Ohio.
"h'our Lorain lawyers have been members of Congi'ess, holding in
all eight terms: E. S. Hamlin, one term; Philemon Bliss, two terms;
Lionel A. Sheldon, three terms, and E. D. Ilolbrook (delegate), two
terms.
"The bar furnished one of the delegates, Mv. Clark, to the constitu-
tional convention of 1851, and tlie single rejjresentative, j\Ir. Hale, to
that of 187;}. Two former Lorain lawyers are lecturers in law schools —
(Judge Bliss antl Mr. Langstoii — and two, Judge Bliss and .Mr. TiiVany,
are authors of legal treatises.
"So I'ar as llie writer lias been able to learn, Philemon Bliss seems
to have held the lai'gcst number of important ollieial positions; two
tefiiis in ("(ingress and (including probate ju<lgeships) liv(; dinVrent
judicial positions. To ]\lr. i\lyers belongs the distinction of having
been Ihe longest at the bar, from 1811 to 1877. The next longest, and
226 HISTORY OF LOKAJN COUNTY
by far the longest practice of the leading lawyers of the bar, was that
of II. D. Clark, from IHU to 1S65."
liENCil AND li.AR SlNCE 1880
For the past forty years, or more, there have been many changes in
the personnel of the bench and bar of J^orain County, both in the
natural order of nature and because of the great industrial develop-
ment and marked ijierease of wealth and general culture outside of
Elyria. The bar of Lorain, for instance, has had marked accessions to
its membership and strength even since the early '9Us, and corpora-
tion practice, especially, which forty years ago was virtually unknown
to the county bar, is Jiow a large and profitable field. In the earlier
times, when an Elyria, Lorain, Oberlin, Amherst or AVellington lawyer
became ambitious to enter a broader practice than he could establish
at home, he considered that his only hope to localize larger things was
to move to Cleveland. That has not been the case for the past twenty
or twenty-five years; members of the Lox'ain bar have not been forced
from the home field to obtain business commensurate with the best talent
and the highest professional ambition.
Hon. David J. Nye, Vetehan Active Practitioner
Judge David J. Nye is, since the retirement of Judge Boynton, the
veteran of the Lorain bench and bar, and he has been far longer in con-
tinuous service both as a lawyer and .judge in Lorain County than any
member of his profession. His home record dates from April, 1873,
one year after his admission to the bar and his return from Kansas,
where his professional career commenced. Judge Nye is a native of
New York, of old Vermont .stock, his parents spending most of their
years in the rugged farming district of AVestern New York. His first
ta.ste of education outside the district schools was at Randolph Academy,
and from 1863 to 186(3 he taught both in New York and Northern Ohio.
Cuyahoga, Sunnnit and Erie counties were the western fields of his
lal)ors in that line. In 1867 he entered Oberlin College and during the
succeeding four years was both teacher and student. During his senior
year he served as supei-intendent of schools at j\Iilan, Eric County, and
at the same time prosecuted his law studies.
Judge Nye graduated from Obcrliu College in 1871, I'elui-ned to
i\Iilau to i-esume his woi'k as supei'iiiteiident of schools, and in August,
1S72, was admitted to tlie bar at El^'ria. After a brief residence at
Emporia, Kansas, where he coiinnenced practice, in IMarch, 1873, he
relunicil to the counfy scat and cDiitiiiUcd his studies in tlic ol'lice of
JIISTOJJY OF J.OKAIN COUNTV 227
Joliu C. iralc. hi .1874 lie t'stahlislicd liimsclf at Klyria and lias siinx'
been aclivc! and j)r()tj;rcs,siv(! citlicr at tin; bar or on the; briicli.
In .July, ISDl, llu; iv])ublican iiiciiibcfs of the bar si'biclcd .Imi'^r. Nyo
as Uk; itaity candidate lor tlio coininon pleas bench; lie was eleeled in
the iollowing November and took his seat in iA'Jjruary, 1892, and liis
service in that capacity dnring the succeeding decade is well indicated
by the fact that only one criminal case whicli came before him was
reversed by tlu; liiyher courts. One important case tried before him
involved the right to have debts deducted from national bank stock for
taxation. Judge Nye held such deductions were inadmissible under the
laws of Ohio. This decision was suliseciuently arfirmed by the State
.Sui)reme (Joiirt and by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Since retiring from the bench, Judge Nye has devoted himseir to
his e-\tensive private practice and varied business interests. In 1912
he served as a member of tlie fourth constitutional convention, lie
is one of the most prominent IMasons iii the country. Other details than
those given in this sketch, which has been virtually confined to liis career
as a lawyer and a judge, will be found elsewhere.
Hon. Clarkncio G. W.\siji!uun
Clarence G. Washburn, who served by appointment and election as
judge of the Court of Couunon Pleas from 1904 to 191;i, represents the
younger generation of his profession, as he is now in his forty-ninth
year. A native of Huron County, Ohio, his parents were New Yorkers
who came to the Buckeye State from their farm near Syracuse.
Judge Washburn spent his years until he reached young manhood
in the Village of Greenwich, Huron County, and in the State of Kan-
sas, lie pursued his law studies under ])rivate instruction and at the
University of Michigan, being graduated from the latter in June, 1892.
lie commenced practice at Lorain, where he also served as village
solicitor, and in 1896 was elected clerk of the courts. In the following
year he moved to Elyria to assume his official duties, and was re-elected
to that position in 1899. lie returned to practice in the fall of 1903,
1)ut in 1904 was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas and,
by successive elections, served until Kebi-uary, 19i;{. TIk^ foregoing
simple record is snllicient, without comment. Judge Washburn's wife,
wild, before her marriage had been a (le|)iily in the probate oniee of
Huron C'ounly, and who afterward assisted her husband when be was
serving as clei'k of the Loi-ain County coiii'ls, was ailmitted to the bar
herself in 1890, )iut never engaged in active ])i-ac1ice.
CHAPTER Xri
DISTINGUISHED CHARACTERS
Dk. Norton S. Townsiiend — John Henry Barrows — Dr. Barrows'
Mother — His Ante-Oberlin Career — Through tih: Eyes of
Daughter and Father — Colonel Charles Whittlesey — Jui>ge
Charles Canuee Baldwin — Lucy Stone and Antoinette Brown
— General Quincy Adams Gii-lmore — A IMoral as Well as Patri-
otic HERO — Hon. ]\Iyron T. Herkick — Frank II. Hitchcock.
Although a majority of those who achieve distinction in ])olitical or
public life liave a legal training and have therefore largely figured iii
the preceding chapter, Lorain County presents several notable excep-
tions. Some of its distinguished characters are natives; others have
resided within its bounds only a few years at different periods of their
lives; some have laid tlie basis of a hardy constitution on its farms and
in its rural communities; others have obtained their first intellectual
stimulus from its scliools of higher learning; both white and black, men
and women, have gone out into the world from Lorain County and
made tine records for themselves and the towns, cities or institutions
which have touched their lives.
Dr. Norton S. Townsiiend
For more tlian a qiun'ter of a century, the late Dr. Norton S.
Townsiiend was one of the most prominent citizens of Northern Ohio
and, altliough he was a successful and skillful physician and sui'geon,
his public services iiuich overshadowed his professional career. Dr.
Townsiiend was of English parentage, and wlien the boy was fourteen
yeai's of age tlie family settled on a beautiful farm in Avon Township.
In his early youth he evinced an aejive intellect and a i)ronounee(l lit-
ci'ary talent, but, when twenty-one years of age, in IHliT, entered tiie
ofliee of Dr. U. \j. Howard, of lOlyria, as a student of medicine.
In the fall and winter of lS;i7 Dr. Townsiiend attended a course of
medical lectures in Cincinnati, returned to Elyria to continue his private
228
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 229
studies, and in tlie fall of 1839 coininonced liis final course at the College
of I'liysieiiiiis and Siirj^eons, New Yoi'k. Soon after ^ri-iduatinrr tlien;-
frotii, in the spi'iiij^ of IM-IO, he saih'd i'or lOiiroiie and spent the siie-
eeediiif,' year and a half attending the liospilals and elinies of Paris,
London, Edinhurgli and Dultlin. He then returned to Ohio and, for a
short time, practiced in Avon, but in 1843, soon after his marriage to
]\Iiss Harriet Wood, located at Elyria. His I)road education and pro-
fessional skill at once brought him practice, and while thus actively
engaged he performed a number of such capital surgical operations as
litiiotomy and amputations of the thigli and shoulder.
But Dr. Townshend's mind was too active and his ambitions too
broad for him to confine himself to the labors and honors of the profes-
sion. Locally, Ins influence was (juiekly felt. For example, he was
prominent in organizing the Elyria Natural History Society, and deliv-
ered numerous and able lectures before it. Whenever a speaker faiK'd
to appear, the doctor was sub.stituted and was always ready to deliver a
most interesting and instructive address.
In 18-18 the Free Soil party elected Dr. Townshend to the lower
house of the State Legislature. He and John F. ]Morse, of Lake County,
were the only mend)ers of tliat party elected to tlie body named, and
also held the balance of power between the whigs and democrats. Jlessrs.
Townshend and .Morse were tiierefore able to wield considerable politi-
cal power and, with the aid of the democracy, secured the repeal of the
notorious lilack Laws. They also threw the senatorial election in favor
of Salmon P. Chase and launched him on his career as a famous Ameri-
can, as well as brought about the appointment of several anti-slavery
men to prominent positions in the State of Ohio.
Doctor Townshend's record in the State House of Representatives
gave iiim so much prominence that he liecame a mem])er of the constitu-
tional convention of 1851, having already connnenced his term as a reprc;-
sentative of the Thirty-second Congress. In both bodies he added to
his standing as a leader of state ami national sentiment. As he was
only thirty-five wiien he was sent to (Jongress, he was considered rather
as an inexperienced upstart, especially by the dignified and elderly
members from tlie South who virtually controlled the lower house.
Px'inu' a rabid abolitionist, the young ddctor was truly a i)opular target
for the representatives of slavery, but their shafts rebounded. Among
others, K'epn'seiitative Stanley of North Carolina attacked him in a
bitter speech, to which the doctor rei)lied with such etfect that the
southern gentleman named was usually referred to thereafter as "IIk;
late Air. Stanley."
In I8r)3 i!()elor Townshend was elecled to the Stale Senate. Dui'in'f
2a0 lllSTOItY 01'^ I.OIfAliV (JOUNTV
the session lie introdueed a l)ill to estaldisli an asylum for imhecile eliil-
(Ifcii and yoiilli. It. pjissed at the next si'.ssioii, and he was appointed u
iiieiiih(i-.s of Ihe hoar'd oi' Inistees, hohlin^^ llie position by reappoint-
ment until 1H78. In \Hf)H, whik; livin<f on his farm in Avon (the family
homestead), he was eleeted a menil^er of the State J5oard of Agrieulture.
He eontinued in that offiee for eight years, heing elected twice as presi-
dent of the hoard. In ]86;5-5 he sen'ed as medical inspector in the
Union Army, with rank of colonel of cavalry. The year 1867, when he
accepted a professorship in the Iowa Agricultural College, marks the
end of his continuous residence of more than twenty years in Elyria,
for even when engaged in army service he considered that city as his
home. But he onl}- remained ahout two years in Iowa, and in 187U
secured the passage of the law to estahlisii an agricullural and mechani-
cal coUege for Oliio. lie was ai)pointed a trustee of tiie institution, and
acceptetl a professorship therein when the collfgc was opened in 187.'1
He then moved with ins family to Columl)us.
The doctor's first wife died in 1854, and he was subsequently mar-
ried to ]\Iiss .Margaret A. Haily, of Clarksl)urg, Virginia.
John IIkn'kv B.\iiRows
Tu'V. John Henry Uarrows assumed tiie presidciiey in Noveiid)er,
1898, and contiiuu'd at the head of Oherlin College affairs until his
death, .lune ){, li>()2. He was the first president of that institution to
die in office, his decease occurring al)out two months after the passing
away of his predecessor, President Fairchild. It is i)roI)ahle that no
l)resident of Oherlin College enjoyed so cosmopolitan a reputation as
Doctor Barrows, his name heing honored hy scholars and religionists
of two hemi.spheres. He fii'st came into world-notice as president of
the great Congress of Religions at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago,
and afterwards extended his fame hy the profound lectures in the pro-
motion of religion which he delivered from Calcutta, India, to San
Francisco, California. As a preacher, orator, scholar and college
executive he had few ecjuals in the United States.
In 1904 Doctor Barrows' daughter, Mary Eleanor Barrows, puh-
lishiMJ a memorial vohnue of lier father, a loving, simple and complete
tribute to his intellectiud and spiritual greatness — greatness spiritually,
in the scnsi' of lieiglit and dcjitli of iiring. Tli;d book, to which all are
refeii'cd who wi.sh to truly know the broad president of Olfcrlin College,
traces many of his remarkable gifts to tiie father, John IManning Bar-
rows, who received his early and liberal education at the l{ens.selaer
l*olytechni(! institute, at Troy, New York, and Oherlin (College, and
IILSTORY OP LORAfN COUNTY 231
from Catherine Moore (Barrows), a learned, wise and tender mother,
also drawn from the East to that uniqne home of physical, intellectual
and moral ecjuality in what was tlien the West. Tlicy met at Oherlin
as students, when the institute was sending,' forth its tirst {graduates,
and as man and wife, father and mother, l'oujj;lit slavery togetlier for
many years, and preached and taught various communities in New
York, Ohio and ^lichigan.
Doctor Barrows' Mother
Doctor Barrows himself once wrote of liis mother thus: "She was
born in Saratoga County, New York, and taught a district school before
she had reached tlie age of fifteen. She was converted in Troy by the
personal ministry of Reverend Fayette Shipherd, a brotlier of the
founder of Oherlin. Being hungry for a college education, she went to
her father and said, 'Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me
that I may go West, where Professor Cliarles G. Finney is;' and she
went. It was a journey of four hundred miles or more that she made
in a stage coach to reach the forests of the Western Reserve, there to
undergo the trials, the sickness, and the hardship and to gain the
inspiration of student life in those .stirring early days of Oherlin. It
was a time when bean soup was deemed dainty fare, when a slab hoard-
ing house was a palace of ea.se, and when ornaments of all kinds on tiie
pei'son of a young lady were indications of a carnal heart. iMy mother
ac(piired some; linguistic learning which nearly all vanished in later
pioneer hardships. She read the New Testament through in Greek.
Besides studying Latin and attaining a good knowledge of French, she
read thirty chapters of the book of Genesis in Hebrew, and I think used
to hush her children to sleep by repeating the deep-toned, full voweled
opening words of the old Bible. But better than the language taught
was the earnest spirit breatiied from the brave lives of those pioneer
teachers who helped to nudte Oherlin perhaps the greatest single factor
in the evangelization of the West. Their theolog}' did not square alto-
gether with the Westminster Confession, l)ut it made revivalists, reform-
ers, and public spirited citizens. The iimbition of the early Oherlin
students, exemplified by my mother as completely as Ity any other
])ei'S()n r ever k'new, was to be noiily usei'ul, to sell their lives for tlie
greatest i)Ossible good."
Doctor Baukow.s' Antk-Omkrun Cahkkr
Rev. .John M. Uan-ows, the fatliei-, was graduated from the theologi-
ciil department of Obcrlin College in ISiiS. Nine years afterward, John
232 HISTORY OF J.ORAIN COUNTY
Henry Barrows, the son, was born in a log cabin about five miles from
^Medina, Lenawee County, ^lichigan, the fourth of five children, all but
one of whom were boys. Tlie career of that son as student, teaelier and
minister, in tlie JOast and the West, during wliich a broad and Ijrotherly
outlook was being evolved in his personality, cannot be traced in detail.
The fifteen years of his life in Chicago constituted a period, of continuous
advancement and expansion, and culminated in his elevation to the
chairmanship of the Parliament of Religions, held as an auxiliary of
the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and his appointment soon
afterward to the Haskell and Barrows lectureship of the Ujiiversity of
Chicago. Then followed his pilgrimage to India and Japan in the
interest of a world bi'otherhood of religious beliefs. Tlie last three years
of his life, which was one of the highest historic examples of tnie culture,
are those which are saci-ed to Olierlin College and so closely concern
tliis history of Lorain County.
Through the Eyes op Daughter and Father
Fortunately Doctor Barrows' daughter has accorded generous space
to her fatlier's connection with the institution which gave both of his
parents such an intellectual and moral impetus when they were entering
the mysteries and responsibilities of parenthood. We tiierefore extract
from her "Memoir" the following pertinent paragraplis:
"In November, 1S9S, he received a unanimous and pressing call to
the presidency of 01)erlin College. This was accompanied by the prom-
ise of the trustees to cooperate with him in raising the standard of
scholarship, in putting the college on a firmer financial basis, in broaden-
ing its ideals, and in giving it a more commanding place among educa-
tional institutions. Those of his friends that were not Congregational-
ists advised him to decline this invitation. They believed the college to
be so provincial in its ideas and so conservative in its policy as to make
sure and rapid progress doul)tful. It was true that Oberlin had lieen
long without a president, had lost some of its earlier prestige, had cut
ih)wn its courses, had a large annual deficit, many dissatisfied alumni,
and was falling oif in the number of its students. To accept this call
meant that he nuist leave the city that he loved, relinquish his freedom
and the large income that his lectures brought him, and assume grave
r('Si)onsibilities and some uncongenial duties. He had no friends among
Obeiliu's trustees and but two accpiaintances on its faculty. It was
periiaps tlu' oidy large college in the; country that he had never
addressed. But he was very familiar with Oiu'rlin's emphasis upon
justice and soi-ial sei'vi<-e, and with llie signal devotion and sacrilice
IIISTOJJY OF LORAIN COUNTY 233
tliat liatl made its history sacred; to ([iioto liis own words: 'AVitli very
liiiiilcd means il lias done an almost iiiilimilcd work. More than thirty
thousand men and womi'ii have coiin; as studi'uts under Oherlin ti'aininf^,
and these [jeojjle, seattei'i'il as teachers and citizens through almost
eveiy villa<,'e ami city of Ohio and the ]\]iddle West, and even the Far
"West, liave done an incalenlalile service for tlie hifj^her life of the conn-
try. Oberlin was the tirst college to admit women to ef|nal and couunon
privileg-es with men in tlie chi.ssical collegiate education. It opened its
doors to students, irrespective of race, and was foremost in the Anti-
slavery agitation which led up to the Civil AVar and the act of Emanei-
jiation. It may .justly he deemetl tiie historic college of the West,
standing at the center of the moral and s|)iritual forces whieh liave
shaped our newer civilization. It is intimately linked with the life-
work of President Finney, that epoch-making force in juodern Christen-
dom. Three presidents of the United States — Hayes, Garfield and
^IcKinley — have spoken in emphatic eulogy of what this college has
wrought for the higher life of the country. The late General Jacob D.
Cox has shown that it was the mighty and incessant work of the Oherlin
reformers and the thousands of Oberlin students who went forth as
teacliers, lecturers, and missionaries that turned tlie scales in the Anti-
slavery contest, led to the election of Abraham Lincoln and the gigantii!
results which followed, making for Union and Freedom. America owes
a great debt, not yet paid, to this liistoric college. Oberlin students
have been active doers in all the held of the world's work, not oidy as
preachers and teachers iu the North, but in foreign luis.sion lands, among
the Indians, and among the African race in the Southern States and in
the AVest Indies. AVhat Edward Everett Hale has called "the most
democratic and cosmopolitan college in the country " posses.ses such
strong traditions and stands for such an earnest type of character that
its moral endowment is already large.'
"Unfortunately for the success of his friends' persuasions, he went
with my mother to Oberlin, to survey the held and lecture to the college.
And it came to pass when he looked into the faces of a thousand students
while the foot ball captain led the cheering in his honor, that boyhood
memories rushed back upon him, the op])ortunity seemed large, and
one of those decisive spiritual experiences connnon to him in crises of
his life marked this college presidency as the dut}' to which God now
called him. He took up his new work on the hrst of January, 1891), and
his own words spoken at dilferent times tell of the college's attractions
for him, his hope for its future, and his sympathy with its ideals.
'■'As nuiny, reading the last chapter of Drummond's "Ascent of
^lan," liav(i exclaimed, "Oil, foi- some one 1o lake u|> and carry forward
234 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
liis fine and stiiniilatiiig siisgcstious, and sliow the later and higher
evoliilion of man in recorded iiistory!" so, as I have reviewed wlial has
already h(H;ii aeeorriplislied in 01)('rlin, and now bcliohl lliis hiiiigiy,
aspiring, nndnished eollege world, the strong appeal eoines to nie lo tal<e
up and carry on this work and place it upon some loftier anil more
radiant tableland.
" 'Tlie founders of Oherlin dared, for man's sake and i'or Christ's
sake, to he peculiar. Surely this has been the distinctive mark of the
leaders of our race, for nothing except sin reduces the grandeur of
human life like inert gregariousness, the making of one's self like every-
one else. The world needs more men and women in the couHiets of this
generation who bravelj' listen to God, who are not cheated out of their
better selves either by tlie subtle temptations of sin, or by "tlie dull
fool's palsying sneer, " and who have not been smootlied down into well-
shaven formalists.
" 'In going to Oberlin I feel, in one sense, that I am going home.
It was at Oberlin that my father and mother first came to know and
love eaeh other, and from Oberlin have come the chief forces that have
shaped my life.
" 'Oberlin possesses, in a large measure, tlie ideals which I have
always preached, tiie ideals of true brotherhood, i-eal democracy,
freedom from artificial temptations, zeal for service, devotion to higher
education, intellectual liberty, independent and intelligent patriotism,
and consecration to the expansion of the divine kingdom among men,
ideals which are supported by the fresh young life of the students and
by the beautiful spirit of the community. All good things seem po.ssible
in a eollege with such a history.'
"Ilis efforts were not simply verl)al. Never was he more skillful
than now in rallying men about him to produce desired effects. At
times he travelled so continually that he would write home, 'The head-
ing for this week's chapter is "Six nights in a sleeping-car." ' During
the brief three and a half years allotted to him, he called on hundreds
of possible Oberlin supporters all over the country and gave more than
four hundred sermons and speeches mostly before teachers' associations,
schools, and colleges. By this means he spread 0])erlin's influence,
made her many new friends, and attracted to her botli more students
and more kinds of students. [Tnder his inspiration nearly .$600,000,
not including gifts for buildings, were added to the college resources;
this Sinn not only I'emoved the annual deficit, but made it ])ossible to
I'etain men of powei" already in the faculty and to add to their iiumiier.
'IMiroiigh the generosity of Lueieii ('. Warner, Louis II. Severance and
I). Willis James, a .Men's (lymiiasium and a {■hemical Laboratory were
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 235
liiiilt, jiiul tlic money secured for a Memorial Arch. Other results of his
leadersliii) wei'e the hetter atljustmeiit of tlie colle<j:e re(iiuremeiits to
Ihc hcst, scc()ii(hiry schools, closer harmony uilh the ns!it,'es of the forc-
iriost American coilcf^es, the estaltlishmcnt of ^n-adiiati! sciioiarships as
incentives to advanced study, consi(leral)Ie modilications of student regu-
lations in the interests of larger liberty, the appointment of a College
Dean and a College Secretary, more ample provision for the teaching
of the Englisii language and literature, the strengthening or sifting out
of poor students, hj' means of a committee on detieient scholarship, and
a reunion of all Oherlin alumni, the si)ecial feature of which was the
discussion of burning educational topics by representative men from
American univei'sities. lie gave courses of lectiires to Freshmen, on
John Frederick Obei'Iin, Hooks, and J\Ietho(ls of Study; to Seniors, on
Ethics, to the Seminary, on Comparative Religions. He was glad to add
to the college's notable collection of photographs and to lecture in con-
nection with their exhibition. He brought many of his distinguished
friends to sjjcak to the student body. He took a lively interest in the
College Glee Club, athletics, oratory and debates. To the Oberlin Con-
servatory of IMusie he gave his hearty commendation. He was grateful
not only for its excellent routine work, but for its service to tiie churcli
music, its siiuport of a great chorus, and tiie eminent musician that it
regularly brought before Oberlin audiences. R>y means of the iios-
l)itality to whicii he was given, .he stimulated social life among students
and faculty and brought tiie conununity and college into more cordial
relations.
"The lo.sses of the college, through the deaths of some of its trustees
and teachers, he made his own. He said at President Fairchild's
funeral: 'For three years I have been a message-bearer from groups
of alumni in different parts of the country, who have sent him through
me their messages of grateful and reverent love. It was pleasant to
see the quiet joy in his face that reflected all the Beatitudes. A few
days ago T brought to him a grateful message from his friends in
Southern California. 1 could not remain, a.s the physician was in wait-
ing, to tell him all that I had to say and his last words to me (and how
significant they are) were tliese: "We'll talk over the rest of it later."
Those words ari' a comfort to all of us. "We shall not see this ]\Iaster in
oiii' Israel again on the sli'cets which he made radiant by his presence,
but il is his faith and ours that the fellowships of time are to be con-
tinued beyond. From the passing days he took not their i)Oorest, but
tiieir l)est gifts; not a few herbs and ai)i)les, but the stars and kingdoms
of llic soul, and tlic sky that holds lliem all.'
"lie sidVei'cd deeply ovei' (he Shansi Mai'tyr's and rejoiced in their
236 11 [STORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
iiiomiinont to be erected in Oherlin l)y tlie American IJoard of Foreign
.Alissioiis, of wliich lie was now a coi'poi'ate iiicinhcr. 'lint llicir iriost
j^'loi-ioiis inciiKirial,' he declared, 'shall l>e the I'c^'eiicralion of an eMi|)ii-(;
and the ,s])(;c(lier coiKiuesl ol' the woi'ld.'
"On Deeeniber 31, 1901, he retnrned from Cleveland very happy at
tlie snceessfnl end of a movement in winch Oherlin had been engaged,
to raise $:iOO,000, and tliereljy secure $'200,000 more, that .Air. Rocke-
feller had offered conditionally. liut he was tired and the following
months brought liim little rest, Avhich may partly account for his
declination of an invitation to take charge of all the congresses in con-
nection with the St. Louis K.xposition of 1904. Ilis engagements carried
him to California where lie gave thirty-six addresses, among them the
tii-st course of Earl lectures before tlie Pacific Theological Seminary.
According to his letters botli Berkeley and Stanford have 'vast outlooks
into the twentieth century. One is overwhelmed on the Pacific Coast
by the possibilities of the American future.'
".Alost of jMarcli, April, and ]\Iay he spent in Oherlin, glad to be
working at home, to entertain his faculty with a series of dinners, and
to give the Baccalaureate Sermon before the Theological Seminary. On
]\Iay IHth be j)reached in his old Chicago pidpit, on 'Lessons from the
Life of Jolm Frederick Oberlin. ' This sermon, wlucli joined his old
life to his new, was his last address. From Ciiicago he went (o New
Haven to a banquet in honor of Professor Fisher, and thence to the
meeting of the General Assend)ly in New York where he rejoiceil over
llie fiiud action concerning tlu; Re,vision of tlie Westminster Confession.
Oji his way home, he was prostrated by an illness that proved to be
pneumonia, complicated by pericarditis. Tliis resulted in his death the
morning of June 3rd, ten days later.
"During his illness the anxio\is crowds before the bulletin board
from seven in the morning until eleven at night, the grave faces and
hushed voices of students, faculty, and townspeople, bore witness to
the love in which he was held. The students gathered in a mass meet-
ing and sent Jiim the following message: 'AVe, tlie student body of
Oberlin College, send to our dear president our fullest sympathy and
()ur ]jrayer in tliis great need. You have stood not alone for the
Oherlin ideals of Christian character and democracy, b\it yon have stood
also for th(;ir realization in the liroadest, most liberal, and most modern
Innii. Yon have ever been lo ns all thai a noble presideiil could be, and
we pray that (iod will spare you lo us. We could not beai" foi' our own
sake that you should lack now this simple ex|)ressioii of oui- iin'e('lion
that is cvei- yours.' Such messages as this and letters and telegrams
IViiMi absent rrjen<ls lilled his last days with happiness. As lie struggled
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 237
heroically with pain, that farewell week, his devotion to the college for
wliicii he had spent himself, and his tireless tiioughtfulness of almost
countless friends, were honi'ly evident. lie left loving messages for
scores of pc()i>]e, remcml)eriiig hy name famons preachers, men of affairs,
parishioiu-'rs both rich and lowly, struggling students, his Oherlin faculty,
his hosts and hostesses in distant places, missionaries to far lands, and
many more. He did not forget his little girls in his Lemon and Soda
Society and requested that their yearly dues l)e doul)led when his good-
bye was sent them. He asked, too, that his body might rest in Oberlin
and that JManning might be placed beside him. He faced death wit-
tingly, with the blessed peace of one about to gain the crown of life.
"Ilis ))urial was princely. For three days no college classes met,
and all Oberlin business was suspended llie morning of his funeral.
This was held on June fiftli, in tlie Second Cluirch of Olierliu. The speak-
ers were his minister. Dr. II. j\I. Tenney, the dean of the college, Pro-
fessor Henry C. King, who has since become his successor, and Dr. L. C.
Warner of Oberlin 's Board of Trustees. Their loving words, the won-
derful display of tlowers sent from many places, and the strains of the
Gounod Sanctus and Benedictus sung by grieving students, helped to
soften and ennolile the hard fact of death and to express the sorrow of
the Oberlin community and of l)usiness men, educators, divines, aJid
other friends who had assend)led from afar.
"The casket was carried from the church to West wood Cemetery liy
seventy-two young men of the four college classes. As one of his faculty
has written: 'He showed to his students everywhere such courtesy,
such an interest in tlieir sports, their studies, their spiritual welfare,
they could not but feel that he was their friend. It was fitting tiiat he
should be tenderly borne to his grave by their .strong anus, — relay suc-
ceeding relay, and all eagerly giving this proof of their love. As they
passed through our streets l)etween its crowds of spectators, their
gracious service reminded us of a siuular scene depicted by Browning
in ''A (I'raiiiniai'ian's I'^ineral:"
" ' "This is our master, famous, calm and dead,
Borne on our shoulders." '
"On the first anniversary of his death, students covered his grave
with tlowers. The stone that. marks his (piiet resting place beside his
oldest son, l)ears these words:
" 'He gave
His body to tliis pleasant comitry's earth.
And his pure soul unto his captain, Christ,
Under whose colours he had fought so long.' "
illtl.OT
'11 // 'i 'J.
238 HISTORY OF I.ORAIN COUNTY
Coi>. Ckarlks AVjhtti,ksky
No one person luis ever b(!eii connected lont^cr or more proniineiilly
with Jiistoricul and arelicological research in the Western Reserve than
Col. Charles Whittlesey, who, a yoiinj^ man, first settled in Brownhelin
Township as a pioneer woodsman and builder. lie was a graduate of
AVest Point; fought in the Black Hawk war of 1831-32; in 183'J was
connected with the first Ohio Geological Survey; later, made a thorough
examination of the ancient earthworks of the state, and in the late '4Us
made a geological survey of what became the famous Lake Superior
copper region. In the Civil war he was colonel of the Twentieth Ohio
Regiment and chief engineer of the Department of Ohio, on the second
day of the battle of Shiloh being in command of a l)rigade and esijuciaily
conuuended for bravery. After retiring from the army, Colonel Wliittle-
sey again turned his attention to the exploration of the Lake Superior
region and the upper Mississippi Basin. In 1867 he organized the
Western Reserve Historical Society, with lieadcpiarters in Clevehmd,
his residence, and remained its i)resident until his death in 1886.
JuDUK Ciiari.es Candek Baldwin
Judge Charles C. Baldwin, who pa.ssed liis boyhood in Elyria, was
far more than a member of the bench and bar of Cuyahoga Countj'.
With Col. Charles Whittlesey, he was one of the founders of the West-
ern Reserve Historical Society of Cleveland, and succeeded his friend
and co-worker as president, at the death of Colonel Whittlesey in 188G.
Both were widely known for their historical, anthropological and
antiquarian researches and publications, and were ever ready to
encourage and assist others in such {ields. At Judge Baldwin's ileath
in Cleveland, Feljruary 2, 1895, when he had but just entered his sixty-
first year, he had achieved a high rei)utation as a lawyer, a judge, a
financier, a man of practical affairs and a deep scholar. He was a man
of tireless industry, positive in his views, even aggressive in his tem-
perament, but withal so symjjathetic, lielpfid, straiglitforward and
friendly that, although lie had antagonists, he made no enemies.
Charles (Jaiidee Baldwin was born j)ecem])er 2, 1831, at .Middletown,
Connecticut. His ])ar('nts wen; Seymoui- Wesley Baldwin and ]\iary
('aiiih'e I'.aldwin. Marly in the sevcnIccMlh cciiliiry, llie Baldwins uci-e
a proiiiincnt faiiiily in A yiesliiiry, iOiigbind, fi-om whirh i)lace most of
lliciu ciiiigratcd lo ( 'oiiiicci icnt in 1(!37 ; S,\ Ivcslcr, llic dircci, iiiKcslor
of 'iud'^i' Baldwin, dying, however, on shipboard ])efore reaciiing his
destinaliiin. .Mrs. Uaidwin was a bright, allraclive, and inlelligenl.
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 239
yoiiii^' woman, oT a FrciK;!! TTiif^MU'iiot family cai'ly in ('oiiucclicitt, ami
(Icseciidcd, lliroiitili licr iiiotlici', rroiii siicli woi'lliics as William J'yiiclioii,
lli(! lii'st, Iri'usiircr of t.li(; Massacliusclts colony aiui tin- foiimlci' of
Si)rin<^licl(l ; Captain Wadsvvoi'tli, wJio liid tlie Connectieut charter; and
the famous secretary, Jolm Allyji, of tliat colony. In every line, the
ancestry of 'Mr. Baldwin is purely Connecticut for 200 years.
When Charles was five months old, his parents moved to Elyria,
Ohio. A considerable part of the journey was made by boat on the
Erie Canal, at that time the most luxux'ious mode of travel. The
crowded condition of the boat made it necessary for many ladies to
sleep upon the Hoor of the ladies' cabin, and it was with the greatest
difficulty that a berth was secured for the infant and his mother — a
favor, which we are told, was the more readily granted because of the
lusty use which he made of his untrained vocal powers.
In 1834 Northern Ohio was mainly a wilderness. The first clear-
ings in the forests of Lorain County by white settlers had been effected
less than twenty-five years before, but scarcely any progress was made
in settlement until after the War of 1812. Elyria was not occupied by
settlers until 1817. Though the accessions to the population from then
on were unusually rapid for those times, the dense forests yielded
slowly to the woodman's ax ; so that it is related that when Charles was
two years old he was lost in the woods where the Elyria depot now
stands.
Judge Baldwin's father was a most energetic, successful and highly
respected mercliant in Elyria from 1835 to 1847. During this period
there is little direct knowledge of the boy's experience; but from a
descrij)tion of the times which Judge Baldwin gives in a biography of
his father much can be learned indirectly concerning the history of
that formative portion of his life.
The trade of a merchant was at that time chiefly conducted by
barter. Potash in its various forms, derived from leaching the aslies
obtained by l)urning the heavy timber, constituted the chief article of
conuuerce with the P]ast, and was considered as good as cash. IMuch
lumber was also sent by way of the Erie Canal to New York. The dry
goods and groceries were brought with great difficulty after the clo.se
of navigation, and Mr. Baldwin's father displayed his energy in highest
degree in overcoming these difficulties of prompt transpoi'tation.
All this was well calculated to impress the mind of a ])oy in his teens,
as were also the scenes which he conslantly witnessed about his father's
store. " lOlyria in those days," writes -Judge Baldwin, "was a sight to
see. Tile farmer came over the road with his heavy wagon, frequently
with oxen, for twenty-fiv<; miles, bringing ])art of his family and such
240 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
articles as he had to sell, and doing tlie trade for the spring and the
fall. The street at midday would l)e full of wagons, there often heing
oni; liundred, more or less." Tlic perplexities of IIk; merchant were
increased during tliis perioil hy tlie terrihle financial crisis of 18L57, and
Seymour liiddwin was one of the few who passed through it without
failure. Tlic impress of sucii a father was indelil)le upon tlie mind of
the son, wliile the importance of energy and persevei-ance was empha-
sized by the loving, but faithful pressure of parental discipline. Judge
Baldwin frequently said he never eovdd forget the lessons of perse-
verance which liis father taught him by insisting that when he was
sent for the cows he must not come liome without them, but must over-
come his timidity and look in every nook and corner of the pasture until
they were found — a habit of action whicli was pre-eminent throughout
all his later life.
A little more than a year after reaching Elyria, Charles' mother
died, leaving his lirotiier, David, an infant five days old. After a time
their father married lor a second wife I\Iiss Fidelia Hall, who thus came
into the care of these snudl children. Of lier Judge Baldwin wrote that
she was as gentle and conscientious as any mother could l)e.
In 1S47 the family returned to Connecticut, and resided for nine
years in I\Ieriden. During this period, when fourteen years of age,
Charles entered a boarding school in INIiddlelown to i)rei)are for college.
Among his companions at tliat time, and one with whom he manitained
pleasant association in late life, was the distinguished iiistorian, John
Fiske. At the age of sixteen, Charles entered Wesleyan University,
]\liddleto\vn, graduating with honor in August, 185.5, at the age of
twenty. Among his classmates was Justice Brewer, late of the Supreme
Court of tliL' United States. Tnuiiediately upon graduating from college,
young Baldwin entered Harvard Law School, taking the degree of
LL. B., in 1857.
Li'CY Stone .vnd Antoinette Brown
Lucy Stone, of ^lassachusetts, one of the earliest and most eloquent
of the pioneers in the e(|ual-rigiils movement, graduated from Obcrlin
in 1847. During her four years' course, she supi)orted herself partly
by tejjching in the long vacations and partly by doing housework in
Ihe Ladies' hoarding Hall at ){ cenls an iiour. She was au aelivi-
|)i'()pagaiidis1, of aid i-slavery and woman's rights doctrine among the
stuilents, ami was re^^arded as a dangerous ehaiacter by liie more eon-
.servative ])rofessors, although, as one of them said to her many years
al'ler, "You know we always liked you, iju<'y!" Anioinelle ilrown of
HISTORY OF LORAIX COUNTY 241
New York, who afterwards Iieeame the first ordained woman niiiiister,
was also an Ohri'Iin stmlenl, and siie and i^ncty Stone oi'^'ani/i'd tlure
llic liist, dclialin;^ elidi ever i'oi'hicd anionj^ collc^^r \s'OMicn.
'J'hr yoiui^' nicii liad to hohl deiiates, as part of llieir work in
rlietorie. The young women were reqnired to be present, in order to
help form an audience for the young men, but they were not allowed
to take part. Luey Stone was intending to lecture and Antoinette
Brown to preach. Tliey wanted tlie practice in puljlic speaking. They
and some others petitioned tliat the girls should be allowed to share in
the debates. With many misgivings, the authorities allowed them to
take part in one. It proved an unusually brilliant one, l)ut the faculty
decided that it was contrary tu St. Paul for women to speak, and that
it must not hapi)en again. An old colored woman who owned a small
house, and whom Lucy Stone had taught to read, (-on.sented to let them
meet in her parlor. Coming by one and two at a time, so as not to
attract notice, the debating club used to a.s.semble there and discuss all
sorts of high sul)jects. In summer they sometimes met secretly in the
woods.
When Luey Stone graduated, she was invited to write an essa^' to
be read at commencement, but she was told that one of the professoi's
would have to read it for her, as it was not proper for a woman's voice
to be heard in public. Rather than to consent to this, she declined to
write it. JMaiiy years after, when Oberlin celebrated its semi-centennial,
she was invited to be one of the speakers en that great occasion.
Gen. Quixcy Ad.\ms Gillmore
Among tlie famous residents of Lorain County were Generals Quiney
A. (iillniore and Charles C. Parsons, and it happened that both achieved
their greatest war fame in the artillery service of the Union Army dur-
ing the Civil war.
Quiney Adams Gillmore was born at Black River, in 1825. After
attending Norwalk Academy and lillyria High School, he began to study
medicine and wrote for publication. There was a vacancy at AVest
Point and the boys appointed failed to pa.ss. In the search for a suit-
able candidate, Gillmore was recommended because of iiis integrity and
scholarship. lie was not in the neighborhood at the time of the arrival
of the messenger who sought him, who therefore passed Black River to
seek other likely young ukmi of military am])itions. But word was soon
brought to young Gillmoi-e, who ])romptly mounfed his hoi'se and gave
chase, ovei-takiiig liis man in time to secure llu- appointment. In 184!)
be graduated from the West Point Academy at the head of his class and
entered the service.
Viil. I III
242 HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
deiici-iil CJillinore's fame as an artilloi-y officer was estahlishod ilur-
iiif,' I lie sict,'c and captiiri; ol" l'\)rt I'nlaski, (U'.ovi^in, in l^Gli. At that
historic sic^,'(; and hoinlmi'driicnt In; jdaiitcd liis hallcrics at di.stanccs
which, i)n;vious to that titric, \v(;fc thouglit to he suicidal, i)ut in less
than two days he reduced the fortress which had In-en pronounced l)y
eminent engineers as impregnal)le.
It is often claimed that General (Jillmore's cannonade and capture
of Fort Pulaski revolutionized the naval gunnery of the world, and
extended his fame throughout Europe as well as America. For that
service he received the brevet of lieutenant colonel and was made briga-
dier general of volunteers April 28, 1862. His next notable success was
with the noted "Swamp Angel," a gun used in the siege of Charleston.
The gun was apparently planted in the edge of the sea, but really in the '
shallow marsh between ]\Iorris and James islands. There a firm founda-
tion was laid, a low breastwork built around the gun, and 100-pound
shells were dropped into Charleston. But it was only fired thirty-six
times, exploding at the last discharge. Other guns soon after did as
etl'ective work, but the "Swamp Angel" is remcinliercd because it first
proved the practicability of the method.
Later, Cieneral Gillmore, with the Tenth Cori)s, took part in the
final operations of the Army of the James River. lie received brevets
of brigadier general and major general for services before Charleston,
resigning his volunteer conunission as major general in Decendjer, 18(i5.
After the war, General Gillmore was engaged upon important
engineering works, and his name is closely associated with the improve-
ment of the Charleston and Savannah harbors, with other like works
along the Atlantic Coast and, as president of the ]\lississippi River Com-
mission, with the great works which were projected for tiie rectification
of that great waterway. His treatises on Road ^Making and Paving are
regarded as the highest authority. He was l)reveted four times for
meritorious conduct, upon the last occasion as major general of the
I'nited States Army "for gallant and meritorious conduct in capturing
Forts Wagner and Gregg and for the demolition of Fort Sumter."
Although after the war he bought the old'hoine farm at Plack River and
converted it into a vineyard, he spent much of the later period of his
life in the East, and died at Brooklyn, New York, in 188S.
A MouAii, .\s Wkli. as Patiuotic Hkko
Gen. Charles C. Par.sons was ])orn in iOlyi'ia in 18158, •rradualed from
West Point in 18G1, and soon afterward was placed in comuumd of a
■haltery which became famous both in llu; Union and ( 'onfedei-ale.
Kti,
IirSTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 243
ciriiiics. After the war lie Ix'canie cliiL'f of artillery in General llaii-
eock's Indian I'xpeditions, hnt later took orders in the i'rotestanl, lOpis-
cojial (^Inircli. His dealli occiu'rcd at Mein|)liis, Scjitendicr 7, 1H7!), and
was dire(itly traceable to overwork during tlie terrible yellow fever
epidejriie of tliat year. His end proved liini to he a moral, as well as
a ])atriotie hero.
(Jliarles Carroll Parsons was the son of Jonathan Trunil)ull and
j\[ary C. Parsons, who moved from Bloomfield, Hartford County, Con-
nect lent, to Elyria, in 1827, and settled on what was then fanning land.
The father died when tlie son was hnt six months old, and a few years
afterward the widow married U('V. William Putlin. Charles, however,
had a favorite uncle with whom he lived during most of his boyhood
and youth. He was hriglit, active and studious and in 1857, through
the influence of Judge Philemon liliss, who was then in Coiigress, was
appointed a West Point cadet.
]\Ir. Parsons- graduated from the military school in 1861, was at
once commissioned a first lieutenant and assigned to the Fourth Iiegi-
nient, U. S. Artillery. After serving a few months in the mountains of
West Vii'ginia, he joined General Huell 's ti'Ooi)s, wlio by a loreed
march readied tlie battielield of Shiloh at tlic close of tlie iirst day's
disastrous Iiattlc (leneral Hitell's troops ci'ossed the river as .soon as
I)ossiblc, the army was rallied aiitl hefore morning took its position for
the second day's battle. Lieutenant Parsons commanded a battery of
I'liitcd States 1roui)s in that battle, and for distinguished bravery in.
the action was i)romoted to a cai)taiiicy. In the early .sunnaer he
ohtained a leave of ahsence, returned North and was married to -Miss
Celia Lijjpett, of lirooklyn, New York. Keturning to lUity, he reached
Louisville, where he found communication with liis battery cut otf by
General Bragg. General Terrel, then in command of a brigade at that
point, made a detail of 200 raw infantrymen and ordered them to rejjort
to Captain Parsons for duty. With them he organized an eight-gun
battery, which he commanded at I^erryville. Tn that engagement
General Jackson, his division commander, and General Terrel, who .com-
manded the brigade, were killed almost at Ids side, and forty of his
own men fell either dead^ or wounded. His horses were also nearly
all killed, and the troops supporting the battery I'ctreated. Still Captain
l-'arsons stood by his ginis ; his was then truly a one-man battery.
At. this juncture a column of (Confederates advanced to take the
guns, ami the captain, with his face to the enemy retreated backwards.
A hundred guns were raised to shoot him, but the enemy commander
ordered them not to tire, each officer gave the other the military salute,
and Captain Parsons walked deliberately away. During tiie following
2U HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY"
iiioniiiij^ lio r(!ca[)ture(l part of his Ijattuiy. His conduct at Porryville
eanied liiin tlie rank of hrcvet major.
Tliu next Ijaltlo in wliicli Captain Parsons participated was that of
Stone Kiver. Ceneral (afterward Governor) Palmer, of Illinois, said
of him: "During tlie whole day 1 regarded the battery commanded by
Capt^un Parsons as my right arm. My orders to Parsons were simple :
'Fight where you can do the most good.' Never were orders better
obeyed." For his part in the battle Captain Parsons was breveted lieu-
tenant colonel of tiie regular army. Soon afterward, however, he was
obliged to go to New York for a surgical operation, and after his
recovery was detailed as an instructor at tlie AVest Point ]\Iilitary
Academy. There he remained until the close of the war and for the
two succeeding years was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, when
he was again ordered to AVest Point as a teacher.
The return of Colonel Parsons to the military academy was the
turning of his distinguished career as a soldier into quite different chan-
nels. AVhile engaged in the i)erformance of his duties there as an
instructor in the profession and art of war, he became ac(puunted with
Pishoi) (^uintard of the diocese of Tennessee, under whose guidance
he began the study of theology. Resigning liis position in tlie army,
he repaired to ]\Iemi)his, took holy orders in 1S70, and, for a lime,
served as rector of St. Mary's Church in that city. He was soon called
to St. Clary's in the Highlands, at Cold Spring, opi)o.site AVest Point,
New York, where he remained two years. Father Parsons was then in
charge of the Church of the Holy Innocents at Iloboken, New Jersey,
for three years, when, soon after the death of his wife, he returned to
IMemphis to assume his office as canon of St. IMary's cathedral. There
he laliored with his accustonunl zeal and ability, and finally met that
sweei)ing epidemic of yellow fever with the liravery of the soldier con-
secrated by the spirit of the priest.
The press of these terrible days, in speaking of the soldier-priest on
September 6, 1878, bore many messages of comfort to his numerous
frieiuls. A former comrade wrote as follows in the Chicago Tribune:
"A man of polished intellect, beautiful soid, the jiossessor of every
grace, Pai'sons seems to Jiave been created for the sweet oftices of charity
aiiil Iriciulsliip. From tlie outbreak of the pJague until he became one
of its victims, he had been constantly busied (as he wrote me a few days
ago) in caring for the dead, the dying and forsaken. He has been
winning the useful victories of ])eace; he has stood by his guns, but,
alas! the invisibk^ enemy, less gt-nerous than the visible, has not held
his lir'c." Anolhei' IViciid in the .Madison (Wisconsin) Democi'at : "He
hiokcil death caliiilv in Hie lace and when his turn came died as a true
iriSTOKY OK LOHAIM COUNTY 245
solditT ol" Christ, at liis post of duly. L(:t no ouu soi'i'ow ovor sueli <a
(It'atli. Jt rounds out in I'uU jJL-r feel ion tiu' record of a hero's eouraf^e
and a martyr's sicadt'astticss." . 'I'hr .Memphis Avalanche: "He died
1o save those af^ainst whom lie I'ouf^ht."
IIO.N. JMyitUN T. llKliUlCK
Note is made clscwlierc of how ex-Governor ITerrick, and late and)as-
sador to France, delivered an address at the Ilunting'ton liome-eoming
of ]915. Altliough a lawyer by profession, he has been so long before
the public, in various capacities, that his personal sketch seems logically
to fall in this chapter. Ilis birth at Huntington occurred on the 9th
of October, ISHy. Jioth his grandfathers were Revolutionary soldiers,
liis paternal ancestor of that generation being Timothy Ilerrick, who,
in 1837, migrated from Watertown, New York, when Tiniotiiy R. (the
governor's fatiier-to-be) was l)ut nine years of age.
]\Iyron T. Ilerrick was reared in the vicinity of the old farm, and
attended the district school at Huntington, the Union School at Welling-
ton, and Oberlin College and the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Dela-
ware, Oliio. Wliile at college in his seventeenlh year, he taught scliool
for a time. Although he did not graduate fi'om eitlier college or uni-
versity, he has an honorary A. M. from the Wesleyan institution con-
ferred in 18!)9. liefore attaining his majority, tiie young man traveled
througli tiie Southwest, and his h'tters published in tlie eastern press'
contained much valual)l(! information for those seeking homes in tliat
section of the United States.
In 1875 Colonel Ilerrick located at Cleveland for the purpose of
reading law, entering the office of his relatives, (J. E. and J. F. Ilerrick.
In 1878 he was admitted to the bar and, although lie entered active
practice, became interested in tinancial matters, and in June, 1886,
commenced his career as a banker b}' organizing the Euclid Avenue
National Bank. In the following September he resigned from the
directorate of that institution to become secretary-trca.siirer of the
Society of Savings, holding that office until 18i)4, when he assumed the
presidency. Colonel Ilerrick and his associates in tlie banking business
also erected the Arcade Building, extending from Euclid Avenue to
Superior Street and considered one of the finest structures of the kind
in the country. He also became largely intei'cstcd in other productive
real estati; in the heart of Cleveland.
(Jolonel llerriek's pronunence as a republican and a citizen of pub-
lic, alTairs commenced in ^HH^), when he was elected city councdman,
serving in that capacity until 1888. In tiie latter year lie lirst served
as a delegate to tlie Ke[)ublican Natioiial Convention, and the honor was
246 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
repeated in 1892, 1896 and 1904. He acted as Ohio commissioner to
tlu! New Yoi'k Centennial in ]889, and in 1S!)2 was selected as a presi-
di'jitial elc('tor-at-lai-j,'c I'oi- llie slalc in the latter y(!ar (Jovei-nor
IMcKiniey ai)j)ointed liim as a menil)er of ids military stall", with tiie
rank of colonel, hy vvhicli he is generally best known, lie had Ijcen
identified with the Cleveland militia for fourteen years, so that the
appointment seemed particularly appropriate.
Colonel Ilerriek's influence as a man of large affairs and a stal-
wart republican was strikingly manifest by his election to the gul)erna-
torial chair in IdO'S. lie served the term covering the years 1904-05 ;
was a delegate to the Republican National Convention again in 1908,
and commenced liis lately-completed service as andjassador to France
in 1912.
Fr.\nk II. Hitchcock
Amherst is the birthplace of Frank II. Hitchcock, postmaster general
in the Taft cabinet, from 1909 to 1913. His father was Rev. Henry C.
Hitchcock, a Congregational minister of long service and high .standing
in Lorain County, and his mother (formerly .Mary L. Harris) was the
youngest child of .Judge Josiah Harris by a second wife. ^Irs. Hitch-
cock, the widowed anil venerable mother, is still living on the old iiotne-
stead near Amherst, but the house where l^'rank IL Hitchcock was born
was burned down al)out forty years ago.
The future postmaster general lived in Amherst, wheiv lit; was born
October 5, 1867, until he was twelve years of age, when he moved to
Boston, Ala.ssaehusetts. He was educated at the Hub and was gratluated
from Harvard University, with bis A. U. degree, in 1891. He com-
pleted a legal course at (;ohuul)ian (George Washington University) in
1894, which conferred the degree of LL. li. upon him at that time,
and LL. U. in 1895.
Mr. Hitchcock was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia
in 1894 and to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States
in 1897. In the latter year he commenced his political career as chief
of the Division of Foreign Markets, Dei)artment of Agriculture, con-
tinued ill that position until 190.'}, was afterward identiiied with the
Department of Lal)or and other Government boards, and in 1!)05 became
lir.st assistant postmaster general under George B. Cortelyou. As assist-
ant secretary of the Republican National (Joiumittee in 1904-8, he was
manager of the campaign of the latter year which resulted in the elec-
tion of William II. Taft to tlu; presidency, and during the following
administration (19()9-l;{) hi; sei'ved as postmaster general, lie has since
practiced his profession in New York City.
CHAPTER XIII
MILITARY MATTERS
Contributions from Oberlin College — Company C, Seventh Ohio
Infantry — Fatalities — The Squirrel Hunters — Company D,
Twenty-third Regiment — Fatalities — Cojipany K, Twenty-
third Regiment — Fatalities — Regimental History — Company H,
Forty-first Regiment — Regimental History — Forty-second Ohio
Volunteer Infantry — Company E — Regimental History — The
One Hundred and Third Infantry — Company F— Company II —
Regimental History — The Forty-third Infantry — The Fifty-
fourth Regiment — The German One Hundred and Seventh —
Other Infantry Bodies — Battery B, Light Artillery — ^Fif-
teenth Ohio Independent Battery — Second Regiment, Ohio Vol-
unteer Cavalry — The Twelfth Ohio Cavalry — Other Civil War
Organizations — Fifth Regiment, Ohio National Guard.
In proportion to its i)opnlation, Loi-ain Coiuity sent into tiie Ihiiou
rank and fiU' an nnnsually larg-e minil)i'r of youth and nu-n, and in no
section of tlie state were tiie girls- and tlie women more tireless iu the
work of relief tlian tiiose "at iiome. " in the raising of funds, the for-
warding of provisions, clothing and medical supplies, and hundreds of
other acts which constituted war relief, the large and more effective
organizations of Cleveland ahsorlied many of the activities and eon-
triliutions of the people of Loi-ain County; hut no thought of distinctive
credit entered the minds of the patriots of those days; the all-important
aim was to get tlie relief to the front as rapidly as possible.
The all-pervading sentiment of patriotism so manifest during the
period of the Civil war was only to be exi)ccted from communities which
had so long been molded by strong moral and religious influences, with
a .sustained sentiment of many years gi'o\itli against the inslitution of
slavery; and Olierlin Colh'ge, as tlie strongest U>vvc/i\i the proi)nlsi()ii
and dis.seminatioii of sueii influences, nolily proved hei- faitli liy her
works.
247
248 HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
CONTRIiiUTlONS FROM ObERLIN COLLEGE
In speaking of tlie part taken Ijy Lorain County in the Civil war, a
special tribute must be paid the student body of Oberlin College. The
l^utriotic drafts upon the membership of that institution, upon several
occasions, threatened the very life of tl)e college. On April 20, 1861,
not long after the firing on Fort Sumter, more tlian 430 students applied
for admission to Company C, Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry. Only eighty-one, tlie maximum of tlie company, were received.
A second company was promptly organized and filled to its maximum,
and, a few months after Company C enlisted, Oberlin College and
vicinity sent another company to the Forty-first Regiment. In tlie second
year of the war still another company Avas raised in the college and the
village to join the One Hundred and Third Regiment, and not long
afterward, when Cincinnati appeared to. be threatened by the Confed-
erate cavalry, every student in the college able to bear arms marched to
the defense of that city. Although the services of these so-called
Squirrel Hunters were not required, their prompt action showed their
manly spirit and they returned home with honor; but hundreds of Ober-
lin students there were who saw actual .service on the battle field, and
many eiieerfully sacrificed their lives to the Union. A testimony to this
patriotism is tlie Soldiers' I\Ionument which stands opjiosite the cumpus.
On the main face, which fronts West College Street, is the inscrip-
tion : "Our brave volunteers who fell in the War for the Union."
On the opposite side of the Memorial are the names of Lieutenant
Herbert Kenaston, U. S. A., and the privates who also fell in line of
duty. Fredericksburg, Stone River, Gettysburg, Fort Wagner, Chieka:-
niauga and Pittsburg Landing are etched in this stony face, as they
must have been in the memories of the gallant soldiers when alive.
On the side facing South Professor Street is the sad and gallant
record of Company C, Seventh Ohio Volunteers. There appear the
names of Captain 0. P. Brockway, Lieutenant E. H. Smith and Charles
F. King, and the battles of Cross Lanes, Cliattanooga, Winchester, Port
Republic, Cedar Mountain and Antietam, and on tlie reverse side of the
monument, Ringgold, Petersburg, Fort Harrison, Five Forks, Cold
Harbor, Olustie and Port Hudson.
There are otlier memorials of the Civil war than those of stone. For
instance, tliere is an elm nearly oi)posite the Carnegie Library upon
whose massive trunk is the inscription: "Transplanted vXpril 2, ISf)!),
by Purl'ord Jeakins, Oberlin College, 'Gl ; Company C, 7lh Regt, 0. V. 1.
.Alortally wounded at Cross Ijaiies, August 2G, lH(il. Died at (Janiieux
Ferry, W. Va., September 22, lH(il."
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 249
Company C, Si'.ventii Ohio Infantry
Company C, Seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which con-
tained HO many 01)erlin .stuch-nts, was mustered into the service at Camp
Dennison, Oliio, June 20, 3861, and mustered out at Cleveland, on the
(Jtli of July, 1864. Following were its commissioned officers:
Captain Giles W. Shirtliff, resigned March 18, 1863.
First Lieutenant Judson N. Cross, promoted to captain of Company
K, November 25, 1861.
Second Lieutenant Ephraim XL Baker, promoted to first lieutenant
Novend)er 25, 1861; resigned IMarch 1, 1862.
Second Lieutenant Henry AV. Lincoln, promoted from sergeant to
second lieutenant, August 9, 1862; to first lieutenant, November 6, 1862;
resigned January 7, 1863.
Second Lieutenant Isaac C. Jones, enrollecl ]\Iarch 1, 1863; promoted
from sergeant to second lieutenant; died November 30, 1863, of wounds
received in the battle of Ringgold, Georgia, November 27, 1863.
Company C was with its regiment for more than three years, and
its record shows what a firm basis trne grit has in moral sentiment.
The Seventh Regiment was made up entirely of Northern Ohio men, and
John S. Casem(!nt of Painesville was its first major. He resigned after
a time, and assisted in raising other organi>:ations. He ascended the
steps of pi'omotion until he was brigadier-general when he left the serv-
ice. At the expiration of the term of service for which they were
nuistered, the regiment re-enlisted, almost to a man, for three years;
and on June 20, 1861, it started for the iield to take part in the opening
of the campaign in Western Virginia, and on the following day first set
foot on Rebel .soil, near Benwood. They marched along the line of the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to Clarksburg and went into camp. There a
l)eautiful stand of colors was presented to the regiment by Captain
Schulte, in l)ehalf of the "Social Turnverein," of Cleveland. The regi-
ment made its first march fully equipped. The day was oppressively
hot, and before one mile had been laboriously overcome many valuable
and useful articles, supposed to be absolutely indispensable, had become
an intolerable burden ; at three miles, when a halt was ordered, the men
went deliberately to work reducing their baggage. Blankets, dress uni-
forms, books, underclothing and every article that could possibly be
dispensed with, were emptied on the ground and left there. This march
teniiinated at Weston. After doing considerable nuirehing, tlu; I'egi-
iiient reached Cross Lanes on the 10th of August; and it was there, on
the 25th of the same month, that they had their first tight, which proved
a disastrous affair. The regiment was obliged to rdi'eat, altliough jt iield
250 HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
its ])o.sition for some time against overwhelming numbers. Its loss was
120 in killed, wounded and prisoners. The next battle was at Win-
chestiT, on March 2.'5(i. At '.i o'clock P. I\l. tlie battle began in earnest
and raged furiously until dark, resulting in success to the Union army.
Again at i'ort Rei)ublie the Seventli fouglit si)lendidly and elfeetively.
In that engagement, with less than 3,000 men, Stonewall Jackson's force
of 14,000 Confederates was held at bay for five hours. The Union forces
were, however, obliged to retreat. On August Dth, at Cedar IMountain,
the regiment was again at the front and engaged in a fierce haiul-to-
hand conflict. Of tlie 300 men engaged in tlie "Seventli" only 100
escaped unhurt. The next battle was at Antietam, but it would recpiire
a volume to tell of all the fighting the regiment did. On Saturday, June
24, 1864, it took its departure for Cleveland, where it was mustered out
of the service on the 8th day of July following, having been in the field
a little more tlian three years. During that time 1,800 men had served
in it, and wiien mustered out there were but 240 men remaining to bring
liouie their colors, pierced by the shot and sliell of more liian a score of
battles.
F.vT.\i,rni:s
The fatalities of Company C, which exceeded those of any other
similar comuumd- which was drawn from Lorain County, were as fol-
lows :
Killed in liattle: First Sergeant Arthur C. Danl'ord, proiimted to
lirst sergeant November 20, 18(il ; killed at Wincluster, \'ii'ginia, .March
23, 1862.
Sergeant Charles P. Bowler, promoted to sergeant April 1, 1862;
killed at Cedar ]\Iountain, Virginia, August !J, 1862.
Corporal John J. levers, promoted to corporal November 20, 1861;
killed at Cedar ^Mountain, Virginia, Augu.st 9, 1862.
Corporal Lewis R. Gates, promoted to corporal April 1, 1862; killed
at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862.
Coi'poral George R. Matgary, promoted to corporal April 1, 1862;
killed at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862.
Ronuiin J. Kingslniry, killed at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9,
1862.
Charles V. King, killed at Ringgold, Georgia, November 27, 1863.
James M. Rai)pleye, killed at Ct'dar Mountain, Virginia, August 9,
1862.
Warren F. Richmond, killed at Cedar IMountain, A''irginia, vVugust 9,
1S62.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 251
E(lw;ii-(1 I'. Slicp{)iir(l, killed at (Jcdar JMouiitiUii, Vir<,'iiiia, Aii{,'iist '.),
1802.
(Jiiarlcs E. Wall, killed at Riiif,'{,'()ld, (icorgia, Novemher 27, ]«(i;{.
i^ainel P. Wood, killed at Rinj^gold, Georgia, Noveiid)ur 2, 1863.
Died: Sergeant William W. raniieiiler, taken prisoner at battle
of Cro.ss Lanes, Virginia, August 26, 1861 ; died in I'arisii Prison, New
Orleans, Louisiana, Novendjer 18, 1861.
Sergeant John Gardner, appointed sergeant May 1, 1863; died
Deeend)er 19, 18G3, of wounds reeeived in l)attle of Ringgoltl, Georgia,
November 27, 1863.
Sergeant Oliver C. Trembly, ai)pointed .sergeant January 1, 1864;
drowned in the Ohio River, June 2-4, 1864.
Corporal Edward AV. Goodsel, died September 19, 1862, of wounds
reeeived in battle of Antietam, Afaryland, Seplember 17, 1862.
William Uiggs, taken prisoner at l)attle of Ci'o.ss J>anes, Virginia,
August 26, 1861, and died in Parish Prison, New Orleans, Louisiana,
Oeto!)er 17, 1861.
Wallace Coburn, died ]\Iareli 29, 1862, of wounds reeeived in battle
of Winehe.ster, Virginia, IMareh 23, 1862.
Jo.seijli 11. Collins, died August 27, 1861, of wounds reeeived at battle
of Cross Lanes, Virginia, August 26, 1861.
Cyrus P. Hamilton, wounded and captured at battle of Port Repub-
lie, A'irginia, June 9, 1862; died in Rebel hospital of wounds.
Daniel S. Jud.son, wounded and captured at ])attle of Port Repul)]io,
June 9, 1862; died of wounds in Rebel hospital.
Purford Jenkins, wouiuled and captured at battle of Cross Lanes,
Virgiiua, August 26, 1861 ; died of wounds Se[)tend)er 6,. 1861.
Harrison Lewis, died in Fairfax Seminary llosjjital, Virginia,
December 6, 1862, of fever.
Josepli -McCanan, died July 22, 1863, of wounds reeeived at l)attle
of Gettysl)urg, July 3, 1863.
Levi jMyers, died in hospital at Nashville, Tenne.s.see, Deceml)er 20,
1863, of smallpox.
Fred M. Palmer, died April 7, 1862, of wounds received in battle of
Winchester, I\Iarch 23, 1862.
Edward G. Saekett, died I\Iarch 29, 1862, of wounds reeeived in
battle of Winchester, Virginia, iMarch 23, 1862.
Thomas Sweet, died Novend)er 30, 1863, of wounds received in I)attl.;
of Ringgold, Noveml)er 27, 1863.
Orlando Worcester, died April 15, 1862, of wounds received in battle
of Winchester, Virginia, i\Iarcli 23, 1862.
ill ,DtBqfT*»rlH
252 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
The SciuiuHKL IIuntkhs
In striking contrast to the foregoing record is tliat of tlie organiza-
tion, which so promptly assembled, in the antumn of 1862, to re[)el the
Confederate general, Kirby Smith, from his anticipated attack npon
Cincinnati. (Governor Tod had issued a proclamation calling npon all
who would furnish themselves with rations and arms to turn out,
organize under their own officers, and rendezvous at the threateued city,
ti-ansportutiou over the railroads to he provided by the Goverinnent.
About 350 citizens of Lorain County responded to the call of the gov-
ernor. They saw no fighting, but tlieir work was cheerfully performed,
and they were ready for wliatever might come, (iovernor Tod cau.sed
lithograph discharges to be forwarded to those whose names could be
obtained, and not a few of tliem have been preserveil by the descendants
of the lioiiie gaiard, as highly prized documents. Although those who
thus gathered at Cincinnati were afterward jocosely called Scpiirrel
Hunters, tiiey W(;re always honored just the same.
C0MR\NY J), TWICNTY-TIIIRD ReOIMEN'T
Company D, of the Twenty-third Regiment, was recruited mostly
from Loi-ain County. It went into the service over 100 hundred strong,
being organized at Camp Taylor, Cleveland, May 16, 1861. It was
)iiustered out at Cumberland, ^Maryland, July 2(), 1865.
The comuiissioned officers of Company D were as follows: Captain
Howard S. Love joy ; resigned Febniai-y 13, 1863.
First Lieutenant Abram A. Hunter, i)romoted to captain March 1,
1862, and assigned to Company K.
Second Lieutenant Henry Richardson, promoted to first lieutenant
July 24, 1861, and assigned to Company U.
Fatalities
Corporal John II. Lindley, promoted to sergeant; killed at South
Mountain, :\Iaryland, September 14, 1862.
Isaac W. Barker, Hiram Durkee, Frederick Hooker and Edmund A.
Sims, also killed at South Mouulain.
James V. Eldridge, killed at Antietam, :\larylaiid, Septeuiber 17
1802.
John R. Searl, died at Raleigh, North Carolina, July 17, 1864.
Saiiuiel (JliHoi-d, died in Coiifcdcrale prison, Jidy 12, 1804.
«).'[+ rs<i
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 253
COMI'ANY K, TWENTY-TJIIKI) ReGIMICNT
(!()iiii)iuiy K, ())■ tin; Twciity-I.liinl Rc^'iinciil, wiis ()ff,'iiiiiz(!(l at lOlyria,
and imislcccd into llu; scrvict' llic inoiilli I'ollovviiif,' llic ()rj,'atiizati()ii ot
Coiiii)aiiy J). Tiicy weiv both iiuistcretl out willi Uicir rej,'iment, at
Ciuiil)erlaiul, Maryland, July 26, 18G5.
The c'OHiniissioned officers of Company K were as follows: Captain
Dewitt C. Howard, resigned July 11, 1862.
First Lieutenant Frederick H. Bacon.
Second Lieutenant Archie C. Fisk.
F.\TALITIE,S
The fatalities of the coini)any durin<? tlie war include the following:
Sergeant Thomas G. Wells, killed in tlie battle of Soutii .Mountain,
]\Laryland, September 14, 1862.
Corporals Timothy C. Wood and Lyman W. Carpenter, both of
whom died at Cliarleston, West Virginia, the former November 20, 1862,
and the latter, August 8th of that year.
Jonatlian Ring, wounded at Antietaui, September 17, 1862; died
September 21, 1862.
Fit/.land Scfuires, wounded at Soutli Mountain, J\laryland, Septendjcr
14, 1862 ; died September 27, 1862.
Regimental History
Companies T) and K had the honor of being units of one of the most
famous regiments which ever went from Ohio— famous, not only for its
soldierly record, but for tlie after-fame of its commanding officers.
Their simple names are the proof to all who have even an inkling of
American history. William S. Ro.secrans was colonel, Stanley Matthews
lieutenant colonel, and Rutherford B. Hayes major, when the regiment
was first organized. Under command of Colonel K. P. Scammon, the
Twenty-third went into active service in West Virginia, meeting with
the new and exciting events common to inexperienced soldiers, which
were almost forgotten amid tlie sleruer iralities of active warfare.
The regiment particij)aled in tlie baltles of Carnifex Ferry, Vir-
ginia, Seplciiiber' 10, 1861, and Ciles (!oiirtiiousc. May 10, 1862, and
iiad the lionor of opening the batlh' of Soulh Mountain, September 14,
1S62, wliere it, lost thirty-liirei! men killed and eighty wounded, among
tile latter Rulhcrford B. Hayes, afterward President of the United
Slates. As an incident of this battle, it is said that tlie Twelftli and
254 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Tweuty-third Ohio and Twelfth and Twenty-third North Carolina —
Companies B on each side — were directly engaged with each otiier.
The Twenty-third, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Hayes, was
in the advance on that day. It was an early hour to advance up the
mountain and attack the enemy. From beiiind stone walls the Con-
fedei-ates poured a destructive iire into the Federal ranks at very short
range. The conunand of the Twenty-thinl fell upon j\Iajor Comly after
Lieutenant Coloiud Hayes was wounded, tlie latter again nud<ing his
appearance on the tield, with his wound half dressed, and fought, against'
tile remonstrances of the whole command, until carried ott'. Near the
close of the day at Antietam a change was made by the division to which
the Twenty-tliird lielonged, and it was exposed to a large force of the
enemy posted in a cornfield in the rear of the left. Its colors were sliot
down, and at the same time a feint was made in its front. The colors
■were planted on a new line at right angles with its former front, and
the regiment formed a line in the new direction, and opened fire upon
the enemy, who retired. The division withdrew, hut no order reached
the Twenty-third, and it remained on the field until the division com-
mander returned and ordered it to the rear.
Tiie Twenty-third assi.sted in heading off Moi'gan's conunand at
Buifington's Island, ttien returned to Charleston, West Virginia, and
afterward .ioined General Crook's forces for a raid on the Virginia and
Tennessee Railroad. :\Iay i), 1864, the Twenty-third fought at Cloyd
Mountain. The enemy occupied the first crest of tlie mountain, defended
by artillery' and rudely-constructed breastworks. The hill was steej),
thickly wooded, ditificult of ascent, and skirted by a stream of water two
or three feet deep. At the word of command the regiment advanced
across the stream to the foot of the mountain, under a heavy fire of
Jiuisketry and artillery, without returning the fire of tlie enemy. A
fnrious assault was made upon the enemy's works, carrying tliem, with
two i)ieces of artilleiy. The struggle at the guns was of the fiercest
description. The Confederate artillerynu'n attempted to reload their
pieces when the Federal line was not more then ten paces distant. The
Twenty-third was with Hunter in the attack on Lynchburg, and in
luunerous skirmishes aiul battles in the Shenandoah Valley. At Win-
chester, July 24, 18(i4, it lo.st 15:5 men. At the battle of Opequan, Sep-
tember l!)th, Hayes' brigade had the extreme i-iglit of the infantry.
.Moving foi'wai-d under (ii-e, the briga(h' came ujK)n a deep slough, forty
or fifty yards wide and nearly waist deep, wilii soft mud at the l)ottom
overgrown with a thick bed of moss. It seemed impossible to get flirough
it, aiul tlie wliole line was staggered for u moment. Just then Colonel
Hayes ])lunged in willi his horse, and under a siiowei* of iiullets and
low '.Hj
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 255
shells he rode, waded and dragged his way through — the tirst man over.
The Twenty-third was ordered by the riglit flank over the slough. At
the same place men were suffocated and drowned; still the regiment
plungcMl tlii'ougli, re-formed, charged forward again, driving tlie enemy.
Tlie division commander was wounded, leaving (!olonel Hayes in com-
mand. He was everywhere, exjjosing himself as usual; men were fall-
ing all around hiui, but he rode through it all as though he had a eharuied
life. No reinforcements, as promised; something must be done to stoj)
that tire that is cutting the force so terribly. Selecting some Saxony
rifles in the Twenly-third, pieces of seventy-one calil)re, with the range
of twelve hundred yards, Lieutenant ]\IcBride was ordered forward
with them to kill the enemy's artillery horses, in plain sight. At the
first shot a horse drops, immediately another is killed, a panic .seems
to seize the artillerymen, and they connnence limbering up. The infantry
take the alarm, and a few connnence running from the intrenthments,
and the cavalry, which has been hovering upon the flanks, sweeps down
upon the enemy, capturing tiiem by regiments; and the battle is at an
end. The Twenty-third fougiit at North ^Mountain, September 20, 18G4,
and at Cedar Creek, October 19 — a day that is a household word tlirough-
out the laud. The Twenty-third was mustered out on the 2Gth day of
July, ISGf), at Cumberland, Maryland, and was paid and disl)ainlrd at
Camp Taylor, Cleveland.
CoMP.VNY II, FORTY-FUIST REGIMENT
Company II, Forty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was
largely recruited from Lorain County, and several joined Company K,
of the same regiment. Witli other companies of that stalwart couimand,
they saw more than four years of service covering every phase of warfare
conceived by the brave and ingenious soldiers of those days.
The commissioned officers of Comi)any II included the following:
Captain, Alonzo Pease, resigned January 9, 1862.
First lieuteiuuit, John W. Steele, prouioted to captain, Febi'uary
3, 1862.
Second lieutenant, Albert McRoberts, promoted to first lieutenant,
March 1, 1862; resigned, May 24, 1862.
Regimental History
The Forty-first was one of the famous veteran regiments of the
Union army. It was raised iuimediately after the battle of P>ull Run
by a luimber of citizens of Cleveland and Capt. William B. Ilazeii, of
256 HISTORY OF LORATN COUNTY
llic; ]']ip:litli United States Tiifanlry, wiis iippoiiilod coloiicl. The ctuiip
WHS fsliililislu'd iiciic ( 'Icvcliiiid, mid hy Scpli'iiilicr 1st it was <jiiit(! full
iiiid tile work ol" iiistnicl ion connriciiccd. An oriicci's' scliool was iiisti-
liilc'd, and tlit' slricti-st tliseipline L-nt'oreed, and, hy the time tiie rogi-
nii'iit was mustered as eomplete, on the 31st of Oetoher, 1861, tlie
offiijers and men weiv (piite well drilled. On Novend)er 6th tiie regi-
ment moved hy rail to Camp Dennison, where it was supplied witli
arms. These consisted of the Greenwood rifle, a weapon nearly useless
and soon discarded l)y the Government. After a week at Camp Denni-
son, the regiment i)roceeded to Gallipolis, taking steamer from Cin-
cinnati.
A few raiding excursions from this point into Virginia was the oidy
relief from daily drills, and in the later part of the month, the regiment
was ordered to Louisville, and reported to General Bucll then oi'gani/.ing
the Army of Ohio. The Forty-first heeame a part of the Fifteenth
lirigade. Nelson's division, and during the winter remained at Camp
Wicklift'e, Kentucky. There tlie Forty-first was made the nucleus of
a new hrigade (the Nineteenth), to which were assigned the Forty-sixth
and Forty-seventh Indiana and the Sixth Kentucky, commanded hy
Colonel Ilazen.
On the 14th of Fehruary, 1862, Nelson's division marched to West
Point, which was reached after a severe march of three days. Thence
the two Indiana regiments were sent to Grant. Nelson emharked on
transports for the Tennessee River, and arrived at Nashville on tlie
27th of February, 1862. Aliout the middle of March, the regiment
moved with the army to Savannah on the Tennessee River, arriving
witliin two miles of that point tlie Saturday preceding tlie battle of
ritlshurg Landing. Heavy firing was heard on the morning of the
6th of April, and at 1 o'clock P. M., after being supplied with rations
and ammunition, the regiimMit moved for Pittsburg Landing, one com-
pany (G) being left to guard the camp and garrison equipage. At
5 o'clock, the troops arrived opposite the l)attlefield, and Ilazen 's hrigade
was the second to cross the river. The regiment lay that night on the
field, in the driving rain among the dead and wounded, and at day-light
moved forw^ard in its first engagement.
The r^rty-first was on the right of Nelson's division, and when the
rebels were discovered to lie advancing Ilazeu's brigade was ordered
to charge. The I<'orly-fii'st was ])laced in Ihe front line, and advanced
sleailily llii'ough a diMise thicket of undei-growtli, and, emei'ging into
llic iiioi-e o|)eii ground, was saluted with a murderous fii-e. The line still
advaficed, checked tiie approaching ('onredei'ate.s, drove them back
hevond their fortifications and captui-ed tlu'ir guns. Three ol'lieers and
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 257
three men, who, at different times, carried the colors in the chai'ge, were
citlier killed or wounded, and, of the 373 who entered the euyaf^ement,
141 were i)iit out ol" liie li^ht in the space of ludl' an hour.
The ni<,dit after llie hultle, Ilazen's hrif^adt;, as an outlying i'oree,
occupied the Tan liark Road upon the left of the army. The regiment
occui)ied a miserable camp on the field of battle, surrounded by the half
buried bodies of men and horses, until the army moved on Corinth. It
suffered wry mucli from exposui'e, during the marcii and in tlie opera-
tions iunneilialely following. The Forty-lirst was with Buell's army
on its march to Louisville, moving, day after day, over bad roads, with
short rations and water supply, until, nearly exhausted, ragged and
dirty, it entered Louisville on the West Point Road, and encamped for
a three days' rest. On the 2nd of October, the regiment marched against
Bragg. At the battle of Perryville, its duties wex*e chiefly in the line
of skirinisiiing.
Al)out October 20th, the brigade commenced its return to Nashville.
Decend)er 26th, the Forty-first, with the army, moved on iMurfrees-
boro. At midnight, on the 30th, the regiment took position in the first
line facing Cowan's house, and from this time, until the cessation of
hostilities, was actively engaged. Of the 410 officers and men of tlie
Forty-tii'st, the largest number it ever took into battle, 112 were killed
and wounded.
On January 10, 1863, the regiment moved to Reedyville, where, it
remained, in comparative (luiet, until the 24th of the following June,
when file command moved to TuUahoma; but as that place had been
evacuated before they reached it, the troops returned to . Manchester
and went into camp. Tents were struck on the 15th of August, and
the command moved toward Chattanooga, near Gordon's ]\Iills. About
1) o'clock A. ^1., the battle commenced, and at 1 o'clock P. M. Palmer's
division (comprising the Forty-first), went into the fight, attacking in
echelon l)y brigatles, Ila/.en's brigade being the first echelon. The
regiment advanced rapidly, over an open field, to a strip of woods.
After holding the position two hours, and, during the time losing 100
men, the regiment was withdrawn. It was immediately moved to the
assistance of General VanCleve, and was continually under fire. At
length the brigade was formed in columns, by regiments, and advancing,
one after the other, delivered its volley into the dense masses of the
enemy, who reeled and fell back. This was the last fighting on Chicka-
nuiiiga. Tlie next day was spent on Mission Ridge, and on the following
nigiit the regiment retired to Ciu\ttanooga.
In the reoi'ganization of the army, Ilazen's brigade was composed
of the First, Forty-first and Ninety-third Ohio, Fifth Kentucky and
258 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Sixth Indiana, and was assigned to the Fourth Army Corps, ]\Iaj.-Gen.
Gordon Granger, commanding.
At ;] o'clock in the morning of Octolx-r 27th, fifty-two pontoons,
])('aring Ila/,(Mi's hrigadc, pushed out, sih'iilly from ( Miatlanooga and
floated liown the river, in half an hour's time the leading pontoons
were ])assing in front of the enemy's pickets on the hank, 100 feet above.
The conversation of the rebels could be distinctly heard, but their atten-
tion was not once directed to the 1,200 silent enemies floating past,
within pistol shot. Just as tlie first pontoon arrived opposite its landing,
it was discovered ; but the lauding was eft'ected, the pickets driven in
and the hill gained. AVhen the morning haze cleared away, the Con-
federates on Lookout saw the hills beneath them, commanding two roads
to Bridgeport, covered with Union soldiers wlio occupied a position
from wliich they could not be driven, with a pontoon bridge to connect
them with Chattanooga, almost completed.
At noon, on the 23d of Noveiidjcr, the brigade was ordered to fall in
for a reconnoissance. The brigade advanced briskly, driving the enemy's
skirmishers into a dense undergrowth, on a small ritlge, between Chat-
tanooga and jMission Ridge. The line followed, and received a heavy
fire. Nothing could be seen; but it was too hot a fire to bear quietly.
Colonel Willey ordered the regiment to charge, and orders from Ilazen,
at the time, directed the taking of tiie line on the hill. Tiie Forty-lirst
delivered a volley, trusting to fortune for its effect, tiien dashed forward
through tlie thicket and balls into the enemy's works, capturing the
colors of the Twenty-eighth Alabama Regiment. In this, its severest,
engagement, the Forty-first was associated with the Ninety-third Ohio,
which shared fully the danger and honor of the figlit. The jjosition was
held without trouble, and was known as Orchard Knob. Soon after the
fight. Generals Grant, Thomas and others, passed along the new line,
when Thomas, looking at the ground within fifty paces of the rebel
Avorks, where the fight had been fici-cest and where lay the hoj-ses of
Colonel Willey and Lieutenant-Colonel Kimberly, called for the officers
of the regiment, and said to Colonel Willey: "Colonel, I want you to
express to your men my thanks for their splendid conduct this after-
noon. It was a gallant thing. Colonel — a very gallant thing." That,
from General Thomas, was better than an houi-'s speech from any other
man.
On the 25th, Ilazen 's brigade moved across the valley from Orchard
Knob to I\lission Ridge, under a heavy artillery fire; and, at the foot of
the ridge, a dash Avas made and tlie enemies' works captured. The
troops were here exposed to canister and musketry, and to remain was
impossi))le: so they advanced up the steep hill, swei)t by an oifilading
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 259
fire of artilleiy; up tliey wont, and when near tlie top, the fire ol; the
Foi'ty-first was (lii'c'(;tc(l to tlic batlcrifs on Uic rij^lit. Tlic (loniVdcrates
rctiicd, and, willi a clircr, llie line occupied the works on llic ridt^c.
A s(|iiiui of th(! I^'orty-lirsl seized a Itattery aliiiost licfore tiic cnciiiy
iiad left it, turned it to tlie rigiit and diseiiarged it directly along the
sunuuit of the ridge, where the oneniy in front of Newton's division
still stubbornly held their position, with the result that Ihey were (piiekly
dislodged. Eighteen captured pieces of artillery graced General Ila/.en's
headcpiarlers that night, of which the Forty-first and Ninety-third could
fairly claim six as their troj)hies, while the former also captureil a
Ijattleflag. The Losses were severe. One hundred and fifteen of the
Forty-tirst, most of them in the fight of the 23d, had fallen.
After resting scarcely long enough to bury the dead, the regiment
moved with its corps for Knoxville. Supplies had been scarce, and
before the march was half accomplished two-thirds of the men were
walking over the frozen ground barefooted; but with their feet wrapped
up in sheep-skins and cow-hides they journeyed on, and finally reached
Clinch Mountain, twenty miles above Knoxville. There the regimi'nt
re-enlistetl, 180 o\it of 188 becoming veterans, and on the ."jth of January,
1864, starter for Chattanooga, reaching Cleveland, Ohio, on the 2d of
February.
AVith nearly 100 reci'uits, the regiment joined its division, in i'];ist
Tennessee on the 2Gtli of INTarch, and was placed in a battalion with the
First Ohio, Lieutenant-Colonel. Kind)erly commanding. At liocky Face
Ridge the battalion was complimented for its steailiness under a galling
fire, and at Resaca it gained a crest within seventy-five yards of the
enemy's main line and effectually jjrevented the use of his artillery.
At Dallas, on May 26tli, the Forty-first lost 180 men out of 2(30. During
subsecpient movements the regiment was engaged at Peach Tree Creek,
before Atlanta, in the movement against Hood, in DeciMuber, where it
did noble work; it participated in the pursuit of Hood, and finally
rested at Iluntsville, Alabama.
In June, 1865, the corps end)arked at Nashville, for Texas. Near
Cairo the steamer collided with a gunboat, and said< in a few minutes,
with all the regimental and company papers and most of the personal
property of the officers and men. Fortunately no lives were lost. In
Texas the regiment was stationed near San Antonio until November,
when it was ordered to be mustered out. It reached Columbus, Ohio,
about the middle of the jnontli, and was disciiai'ged on llie 261 h of
November, 18(1.'), after four years and one month of creditable service.
The fatalities of Company II, of the Forty-lirst Regiment, were:
260 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
First Sergeant Henry S. Dirlam, promoted to first lieutenant Rrareli 24,
18G3 ; killed November 23, 1 863.
llyman A. Brown, died at Corinth, Mississippi, in 1862.
James W. Blaekwell, killed in battle, November 23, 1863.
IMattliews Chamberlain, killed at Shiloh, April 7, 1862.
Albert I. Clark, died at Corinth, r^lississippi, 18C2.
Albert ^l. Kellogg, died 1862.
Ebenezer Kingsbury, killed in l)attle, November 23, 1863.
Daniel Lawrence, died in 1862.
John C. Lenhart, killed at Stone River, December 31, 1862.
Joseph H. Lincoln, died in 1862.
William A. ]\Iills, killed in battle, November 23, 1863.
John (;. ^lills, killed in battle, May 27, 1864.
Franklin Poiueroy, died in 1862.
Harvey Sanderson, died at Corinth, IMississippi, 1862.
Oliver II. Smith, died in 1862.
Josiah Staples, killed in l)attle, May 27, 1864.
Benoni B. West, died in 1864.
Henry West, killed at Shiloh, April 7, 1862.
Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry
The band of the Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry and Com-
pany E, of that regiment, drew much of their membership from Lorain
County. The company was mustered into the service at Camp Chase
near Columlius, in October, 1861, and the band was organized in the
following month. The Forty-second was a three-yeai-s' regiment, being
mustered out of the service in November, 1864.
COMI'.VNY E
Commissioned officers of Company E : Captain, Charles II. Howe,
resigned :\Iay 1, 1863.
First lieutenant, Ceorge F. Brady, resigned March 27, 1862.
Second lieutenant, I\Ielville L. Benham, i)romoted to captain, 'Slny 17,
1863.
The record shows the list of fatalities to be as follows: Frederick
Brooks, died at St. Louis, jMissouri ; date not given.
Christopher Dimmock, wounded in battle; died .Alarch, 1863.
Lidce I'Miiif, (lii'd l''ebruary 'S, 1862.
Henry llilmer, died August 1!), 1S63.
Lyman llawley, wounded at N'ickshurg; arm amputated; drowned
]\rarch 12, 1864.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 261
Martin Lilly, killed in battle Decemhcr 29, 1862.
George W. Lcc, died January 12, 1862.
Charles O'JJrion, died >May 18, ]862.
Sanford Pliinney, died ; no date given.
George Sexton, died February 7, 1862.
Cornelius Springer, died of wounds, 1863.
iMason Terry, died at Baton Rouge, Louisiana ; date not given.
Thomas AVilliams, died in Memphis.
Frederick Watson, killed in battle July 12, 1863.
John Curl, died June 30, 1863.
George Goldsmith, died February 12, 1863.
Alfred Lucas, died j\Iay 6, 1863.
Friend lAfeNeal, died March 25, 1863.
Julian W. Smith, died January 29, 1862.
Thomas F. Williams, died of wounds, April 11, 1863.
Regiment.\l History
Companies A, B, C and D of the Fort.y-second Regiment were
)iiustered into the service at Camp Chase, September 25, 1861; Company
E, October 30th; Company F, Novemlier 12th, and Coinjianies G, II, I
and K, November 26th.
On the 14th of December, 1861, orders were received to take the field,
and on the following day the regiment moved by railroad to Cincinnati,
and thence by steamer up the Ohio River to Catlettsburg, Kentucky,
where it arrived the morning of December 17th. The regiment,
together with the Fourteenth Kentucky Infantry and JMcLaughlin'.s
squadron of Ohio Cavalry, proceeded to Green Creek. Another advance
was made December 31st, and on the night of Januai-y 7, 1862, the whole
command encamped within three miles of Paintville. The next morning
five companies, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Sheldon took
possession of the village. On the evening of the same day Colonel
Garfield took the Forty-second and two companies of the Fourteenth
Kentucky, and advanced against Marshall's fortified position, about
three miles south of Paintville Village. Arriving at about 9 o'clock
P. M., they found the works evacuated, and everything valuable either
carried away or destroyed. Marching all night, they readied Paintville
a little after daylight.
About noo]i on the 9th, Colonel Garfield, with 1,100 infantry from
the Forty-second Ohio and other regiments, and about 600 cavalry,
started in pursuit of ]\Iarshall, and about 9 o'clock in the evening the
advance was fired upon by Marshall's pickets, on the summit of Al)l)ott's
•hT W
262 II J STORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
ITill. Oar(iol(] look possession of tlu; liill, hivouaduMl for tlio nif?ht and
till! next iiioriiiiif,' coiilimicd tin; |)Ufsuil, ovciMakirif,' tlic ciKjiny at lh<!
forks of Rliddlo Creek, tliree miles southwest of rresloiilmrg. Marshall's
foree eoiisisteil of al)Out 3,500 men, infantry and cavalry, with three
pieces of artillery. Major Pardee, with 400 men, was sent across Middle
Creek to attack I\Iarshall directly in front, and Lieutenant-Colonel
Monroe (Twenty-second Kentucky) was directed to attack on Marshall's
right Hank. The fight at once opened with considerable spirit, and
Pardee and IMonroe became hotly engaged with a force four times as
large as their own. They held their ground with great obstinacy and
bravery until reinforcements reached the field, when the enemy com-
menced to fall back. The National forces slept upon their arms, and at
early dawn a reconnoissaiiee tliseloscd the fact that IMarshall had burned
his stores and fled, leaving a portion of his dead upon the field. From
this date, for a eonsidera))le time, the regiment was engaged in several
expeditions against guerillas.
Tlie arduous nature of the campaign, the exceedingly disagreeable
weather, and the want of supplies, were disastrous to the healtii of the
troops, and some eighty-[iv(! of the Forty-second died of di.sease. On
June 18, this regiment led the advance, and was the first to plant the
Union tlag on the stronghold of Cumberland (iap. When the regiment
left tlie (iap it numbered 750 men, and while on the march there were
issued to it 275 pounds of Hour, 400 pounds of bacon, and two rations
of fresh pork: the rest of the food consisted of corn grated down on tin
plates and cooked upon them. The distance marclied was 250 miles.
The weather was very dry and the men suffered for water. They were
without shoes, and their clothing was ragged and filthy. Tiie Forty-
second lost but one man from all causes, and it was the only regiment
tiuit brought through its knapsacks and blankets. These proved of
great service, as the men were compelled to camp at Portland, Jackson
County, Ohio, two weeks before clothing, camp and garrison equipage
could be furnished them. "While at Portland the regiment received 103
recruits, and at Memphis, whither it arrived on November 28th, sixty-
five more. It had from time to time received a few, so that the whole
numl)er reached 200 or more, and the regiment could turn out on parade
nearly 900 men. At Memphis the division was reorganized as the Ninth
Division, Thirteenth Army C'orjis.
On (he 201 h of Deeemher the l-'orty-second, with other troops, under
(liii. \V. 'i\ ShermiMi, emharked at Memphis, and pi-oceeding down the
river, liiiided at -Johnston's plantation on the Yazoo. The Forty-second
led the advance against the defenses of Vicksburg on the 27th of DiM-em-
liei-, and skirmished with the enemy until dark. The next morning the
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 263
regiment resumed the attack, and by a charge, which was made with,
great spirit, succeeded in gaining possession of the woods, driving the
Confederates into tlioir works. Al)Out 9 o'clock A. M., on the 2i)th, a
charge was made, the Forty-second being on the extreme right of the
assaulting column. The storm of shot and shell was terrific, but the
regiment maintained its organization and came off the field in good
order. An important victory followed, in January, 1863, being the
assault upon and capture of Fort Ilindman, Arkansas. In this the
regiment led the advance. The spoils were 7,000 prisoners, all the guns
and small arms and a large quantity of stores. At Port Gibson the
regiment had hot work, and sustained a heavier loss than any regiment
in the corps. After the surrender of Vieksburg the regiment marched
to Jackson and particii)ated in the reduction of that place, and then
returned to Vieksburg, where it remained until ordered to the Depart-
ment of the Gulf. Companies A, B, C and D were mustered out Novem-
ber 25th, and the other four companies, December 2, 1864. One hundred
and one men remained whose term of service had not expired, and they
were organized into a company and assigned to the Ninety-sixth Ohio.
The One Hundred and Third Infantry
The One Hundred and Third Ohio was composed of men from the
counties of Cuyahoga, Lorain and ^ledina. Companies F and II being
especially representative of Lorain County. Its service covers tiie
period from September, 1862, to June, 1865, and Cleveland .saw both
the commencement and the close of its good record.
Field and staff ofificers from Lorain County: IMajor, Dewitt C.
Howard, discharged February 15, 1865.
Surgeon, Lutlier D. Griswold, resigned August 1, 1864.
Quartermaster sergeant, Clark P. Quirk, promoted a regimental
quartermaster, July 21, 1863.
Hospital steward, Cyrus Durand, promoted from sergeant in Com-
pany H.
Fife major, John IMountain, discharged ]\Iay 15, 1863.
Company F
Commissioned officers of Company F: Cai)taiii, Philip C. Haynes,
promoted to colonel of tlie regiment, June (!, 1865.
Fir.st lieutenant, Simeon Windecker, ])romoted to captain, June 24,
1862.
S('(;ond lieutenant, Cliarles K. Morgan, promoted to captain Novem-
ber 18, 1861.
''Hfi
264 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
Fiitiilitic'S of Company F: Lullicr Bciiiis, died at Danville, Ken-
tucky, July ]7, lH(i;{.
John jr. Jiowers, died November 2U, JBOIJ, oL' wounds received in
battle near Knoxville, Tennessee, on the preceding day.
Lewis Carver, died at Camp Nelson, Kentucky, October 3, 1863.
Liimpson ]i. Franklin, died at Lexington, Kentucky, Novendjer 21,
18G2.
Silas Kingsley, died at Camp Dennison, Ohio, July 12, 1863.
David Robinson, died November 28, 1863, of wounds received in
battle near Knoxville, Tennessee, three days before.
Company H
Commissioned ol'licers of Company II: Captain, George F. Brady,
resigned May 9, 1863.
Fii'st lieutenant, John Booth, promoted to captain I\Iay 9, 1863;
resigned April 24, 1864.
Second lieutenant, P. B. Farsons, resigned Jujie 18, 1863.
Fatalities of Comi)any II: Frederick Ambrose, died April 27, 1863.
Tlioinas Bunnell, died January 14, 1863.
Benjamin F. Crippen, died January 18, 1863.
Robert Dickson, died October 15, 1863.
Harrison Coding, died November 25, 1863, of wounds received at
battle of Armstrong Hill.
j\Iartin Hudson, died November 3, 1863.
William Howes, died December 6, 1863, of wounds received at Arm-
strong Hill.
Joseph IMathews, died at Frankfort, Kentucky, March 26, 1863.
Hannibal T. Osgood, died March 23, 1863.
Grosvenor Pelton, died November 10, 1863.
Carey J. Winekler, died IMarch 13, 1863.
Regimental History
Ten companies of the One Hundred and Third Regiment rendez-
voused at Cleveland, in August, 1862, and on the 3d of September started
for Cincinnati, which they found in a state of excitement and alarm,
l)ccause of the luiar ai)j)roa(Oi of tlu- enemy, under Kirby Siiiilli, upon
Lexington, Kentucky. Having received ai-ms in Cincinnati, the regiment
crossed over to Covington, when; it was furnished with clothing and other
necessaries for camp life. Thus ecjuippcd, it mai'ched out to Fort;
Mitchell, on the evening of the 6th.
HISTORY Ol<^ LORAIN COUNTY 265
Ai'ter a few days of suspense, information was received at head-
quarters that the enemy had retreated. Immediate pursuit' was ordered.
Tlie One Hundred and Third moved out on tlie 18tli, with otiier forces,
in pursuit, taking the pike toward Lexinf,'ton. Having followed three
days, without being able to overtake the Confederate cavalrymen, the
National forces returned as far as Snow's Pond, where they encamped
for a short time. AYhile there sickness prostrated nearly one-half of
the regiment. It was now organized, with two other regiments, into a
brigade under the command of Brig.-Gen. Q. A. Gillmore. The regi-
ment, with its brigade, moved on the 6th of October, to repress the out-
rages of the enemy's cavalry, and, becoming separated from the l)rigade,
went into camp on the bank of tlie Kentucky River, at Frankfort, where
it remained until the 5th of April, 180:1 At that date, the regiment
marehed to Stanford.
.Marauding bands of mounted men, nominally belonging to John
Morgan's command, but, in reality, independent squads of freebooters,
had kept all this region in a constant state of excitement and alarm, and
gave considerable annoyance to tlie National troops — capturing parties
stationed at outposts and destroying supply trains. A large force Avas
gathered at Stanford, and on the 25th an advance was ordered by
Gen. S. P. Carter, then commanding. The National forces moved for-
ward to Somerset and Mill Springs, the enemy falling back all the
time; but there were not wanting indications of an intention, on the
part of the Confederates to concentrate their scattered forces for the
purpose of making a stand at some point favorahle for defense. The
Union infantry had considerable difficulty in crossing the Cumberland,
on account of high water; but, once over, it pushed rapidly after the
enemy, preceded by the cavalry which had cros.sed a little below. On
the 30th, the cavalry came up with a body of Confederates, when a
smart skirmish took place. On the 5th of ^lay, the Federal forces were
ordered back to the Cumberland. The One Hundred and Third took a
position near Stigall's Ferry, where it was soon visited by a body of
enemy troops, wlio fired on them from the southern bank. ^Much power
was expended by both parties, but with little result.
On the 5th of July, the regiment, with other troops, marehed toward
Danville, where they remained a few days and then fell liack to Hickman
Bridge. Returning to Danville, shortly after, the regiment, witli other
coiniriands, was formed into the Twenty-third Army Coi'i)s, and placed
under the command of Major-General Hartsuflf. The Nintli Army
Corps having been added to the Union foret; at that point, the troops
began to move on the 18th of August under llie command of Gen. A. E.
J?iii-iisi<le. 'IMuit army siilTenMl many hardsliips in its marcli from
266 HISTOnY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Danville, via Stanford, Crab Orchard, the Cumberhuid, Burnside's
I'oint, Chitvfrood, Montgomery, Emery's Iron AVorks and Lenoir, to
Concoril, Tennessee. On the lOtli of September, tlie regiment joined in
tlie general advance, whicli resulted in driving back the enemy to his
main force, then assembled at Jonesl)oro.
On the 4th of November, tlie regiment proceeded by railroad to
Knoxville, and was stationed with its brigade, on the south side of the
river. Longstreet was now advancing upon the city, with a large force.
During tlie investment, the Union troops sutfered much from insufficient
clothing, shoi-t rations and other privations. About noon, on the 25th,
six companies of the I'egiment wei-e sent forward to relieve a company
on picket-duty, and, while so doing, a heavy charge was nmde l)y the
Confederates with the intention of capturing the entire detachment.
The men, assisted by the pickets of the Twenty-fourth Kentucky and
the Sixty-fifth Illinois, poured into the ranks of the enemy a well-
directed fire ; but this did not check them in the least, for, with wild
yells, they rushed upon the picket-line, and a desperate struggle ensued.
The regiments of the respective pickets coming up, in full force, a
l)a.yonet charge was ordered, which soon decided the contest, for the
opposition broke and tied, leaving tlie dead and wounded upon the field.
The regiment lost, in this engagement, some thirty-five in killed and
wounded.
The One Hundred and Third Regiment finally became a part of the
grand army, with which Siierman marched to the .sea, and on the 13th
of ]\Iay arrived in front of Resaca. The next day, the Twenty-third
Corps charged the enemy's works and carried his two lines. • The regi-
ment lost, in this engagement, over one-third of its effective force.
Among those who fell were Captains W. AV. Hutchinson and J. T.
Philpot. The regiment finally reached Decatur on the 8th of September.
It had lost heavily during this campaign. On INIay 1st its effective force
numbered 450 men ; but when it encamped at Decatur, it could only
nuister 195.
At Spring Hill, the regiment, while supporting a battery, showed
conclusively its reliable material. On tlie 24th of February, 18()5, with
its corps, it arrived at Wilmington, and on the Gth of March it started
forward, moving through Kingston to Goldsboro, wiiere it again met
Slirniiaii's army. The whohi army .soon took up its march, and on the
l;!lli of April reached Kaleigli, where the regimen!, rciiuiiiied till the
lOlii of -iune, when it started for (Mevehiiid, Ohio, to be mustered out.
As tli(^ train, conveying tiic men, was descending the western slo|)e of
the Alleghany .Moiiniaius, a truck iiroke loose, throwing three of the
eiirs down a Htee|i einhnnkiiienl and eiiii.sing tln' dentil (»!' Iliree men,
, CI
III.STOKY OF I.OKA IN COUNTY 267
and the iiiutilatioii of a rmicli larf^ei- juhiiImt. On tlu! ]!)tli, tlie rogiiiicut
reacticd Clcvclainl, and on th'j 22d it was paid ofi' and mustered out.
The Forty-tiiikd Infantry
Tile Forty-third Infantry had quite a numher of Lorain County men,
Companies F and I being well represented in that ivgard. Company F
served from tiie fall of 1861 to July, 1865, and Company I was mustered
in in 1862 and out, in the last year of the war.
As a regiment, the Forty-third was organized at Camp Andrews,
IMount Vernon, Ohio, February 7, 1862, and left its rendezvous for the
front on the 21st of the same month. On the 26th of Februai-y, it
reported to Hrig.-Gen. John I'ope, eommanding the District of ^li.ssis-
sii)i)i, and was at onee assigned to the Ohio l)rigade, eomi)Osed of the
Twenty-seventh, Thirty-ninth, Forty-third and Sixty-third regiments,
First Division, Army of the IMississippi.
It was Init a few days before the regiment was introduced to active
service, for in JMarch, 1862, it was under fire at New Madrid, JMi.ssouri;
and in all the operations against tliat post it l)ore a prominent part,
especially in its final bombardment and capture on the 13th anil 14th
of .Marcii. Tlie loss of tlie regiment in killed and woundeil was (piite
severe.
In the movements against Island No. 10, and the crossing of the
IMississippi River in the face of the enemy, the Forty-third l)ore a con-
spicuous ])art, as also in tiie subsequent ca])lure of tlie forces of General
McC'all, at Tiptonville, Tennessee. The ne.xt movement was against
Foi't Pillow. In all the oi)eratioiis oT llutt campaign, the Forty-third
bore its part. The actions of the 8th, 9th and 2{)th of IMay, may be
particularly mentioned. At Corinth, the Forty-third was posted imme-
diately on the left of Battery Robinett, and the Si.xty-third on the right
of the battery; and it is said these two regiments did more to save the
day than any other organization engaged. Tlie grand a.ssault of the
Confederates was made at daylight on the 4tli of October. They opened
on liatlery liobinett with artillery at about ;K)0 yards, and at 10 o'clock
A. j\I., led by Colonel Rogens, of the Second Texas, moved forward to
the assault. Tlu^ Forty-third and Sixty-third Ohio stood lirmly at their
posts and succeeded in staggering the assaulting (column and in hui-ling
it biiek, at a lime when the Union lines were liroken and tli<' Iroojjs wei'c
seen living from every other pari of the lield. Tiie opposing forces
were but a few feet apart, and I'ought almost hand to hand, and men
Went down on ])oth sides in great nuiidters. Colonel Smith fell mortally
wounded III liir lirsl ousel, wiiile galliinlly disrluii-ging his duty.
268 iriSTOIjy OF l.ORAIN COUNTY
Ailjutaiit Iloyl and Captain Spanglor were killed at about tlie same
moineiit. Capt. S. F. Tiininons and Lieut. S. ^IcClaren, A. L. Howe
and II. L. Prophet received honorable wound.s. The casualtie.s among
the men were very severe. In a few minutes of fighting, over one-fourth
of those engaged of the Forty-third were either killed or wounded.
Colonel Smith died eight days after the battle. The next movement of
the Forty-tliird was with (Jrant's army, at Oxford, IMississippi. Jn the
campaign against Forrest, in West Tennessee, in the winter of 1862-63,
and in General Dodge's raid in North Alabama, in April, 1863, the
Forty-third was with General Sherman when he made his memorable
march from ilemphis to the relief of the Army of the Cumberland.
In December, 1863, the regiment almost unanimously re-enlisted as
veterans, and went home on a furlough of thirty days. Returning, the
regiment assisted at the capture of Deeatur, Alal)auni, and lay at that
point until the opening of General Slierman's campaign against Atlanta.
On the 1st of May, 1864, the eonnnand began the march for Chattanooga.
On the 13th, it was engaged in the advance on Re.saca and suffered
severely. At Dallas, the Forty-third took an important part; and in
the advance on the enemy's position near Big Shanty, Comi)any 1), of
the regiment, participated in a most brilliant charge of .skirmisliers,
capturing a strong ])arrica(le from the Twenty-ninth Tennessee and
nuuierous prisoners. Immediately thei'cafter came tlie siege of Kenesaw,
with its deadly skirmishing, its grand cannonading aiul the disastrous
repulse of the National forces on the 29th of June.
Tlie Forty-third participated in the general movements of the corps
until the advance of the army on Decatur, when it was detached to hold
the bridge across Chattahoochee. This was successfully accomplished,
and during the remaiiuler of the Atlanta campaign the Forty-third
shared the trials and successes of the Sixteenth Army Corps; and on
the 4th and 7th of August, particularly, in advancing the National lines,
won the thanks of Ransom, the division commander, by splendid and
steady fighting. After the fall of Atlanta, tlie Forty-third enjoyed
General Sherman's "full month's rest;" after which, the regiment
])arlicipated in the chase after Hood. as far as Resaca, aiul then hurried
back to join Sherman in his great "march to the sea." Of this cam-
paign, the lii.story of one regiment is the history of all. It was a daily
succession of easy marches, with little interruption, with plenty of
forage for both man and bea.st and full of ]»leasaiit adventure. Savan-
nah was readied and l)esiege(l. In Ibis the Forty-third performed its
full sliare of duty.
In Januai-y, 1865, the regiment moved to Beaufort, and directly
afterward upon Pocolaligo, wlier(> it lay until the bciniiiii"- of
» HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNT V 2G9
Sherman's march through the Carolinas. On the 2d of February the
Seventeenth Corps crossed Wliippy Swamp, and was soon confronting
the enemy, strongly posted at River's Bridge. There Colonel Swayne
lost a leg ))y a shell. The regiment lost in him a brave and competent
leader, who had been with it from its organization, and who liad always
shown the utmost devotion to its interests. The next day, the regiment
received a baptism of fire, in a charge on a battery which commanded
the bridge and the causeway approaching it. Down this narrow cause-
way the regiment rushed amid a storm of shot and shell, compelling the
Confederates to withdraw their battery and uncover the crossing. The
war closing, the regiment went to "Washington and took part in the
grand review ; returning to Ohio, it was mustered out of service on the
lath of July, 1865.
The FiFTY-Fouirrii Regiment
Tlie Fifty-fourth Regiment was represented in tlie county by Com-
pany B, of which Robert Williams was captain. He was promoted to
be lieutenant-colonel of his regiment, and lionorai)ly discharged Sep-
tember U, 3 86-1.
Tlie reported fatalities were : Samuel Glunt, died July 6, 1863.
Jesse and John Glunt, died in hospital ; no record.
Francis V. Hale, killed in the battle of Shiloh.
Recruiting for the Fifty-fourth Regiment began late in the summer
of 1861, at Camj) Dennison, where it was organized and drilled during
the fall of 1861. It entered the field Fel)ruary 17, 1862, witli an
aggregate of 850 men. The regiment readied Paducah, Kentucky,
February 20th, and was assigned to a l)rigade in the division commanded
by General Sherman. On the 6th of April the regiment engaged in the
battle of Pittsburg Landing, its position l)eing on the extreme left of
tile army; l)ut, on the second day, it was assigned a new position near
the center of the line.
In the two days' fighting the regiment sustained a loss of 198 men
killed, wounded and missing. It was next engaged ujion the movement
upon Corinth, and, upon tlie evacuation of that i)oint, was among the
first oi-ganized bodies to enter tlie town, and afterward performed pro-
vost duty tliere. During tlie summer the regiment was engaged in
several short expeditions. It was engaged in the assault on Chickasaw
liayou, December 28th and 20th, witli a loss of twenty killed and
wounded. On January 1, 186;{, the regiment ascended the IMississipiji
and Arkansas I'ivers and engaged in tlie assault and capture of Arkansas
Post. On tlie (ith of May, the regiment began its mai-eh to the rear of
270 IIIHTORY OV LORAIN COUNTY
Vieksburg, by way of (iraiul (iiilf, ami was ongagcd in the batlles of
Cbaiiipioii Hills and Big Ulack liriilge. It was ciigagetl in a general
assault on tlie enemy's works, in the rear of Vicksbnrg, on tbe I'Jth and
22(1 oT Jnne, losing in tiic two engagements forty-seven killed and
wonnded. It was eontiiiually employed in skirmisiiing and fatigue duty
during the siege of Vieksljurg. After the fall of Vieksburg, the Fifty-
fourth moved with the army upon Jackson, Mississijjpi, and was con-
stantly engaged in skirmisiiing from the 9th to the 14tii of July. It was
engaged in the battle of Alissionary Kidge, November 2(jth, and the
next day marched to the relief of the garrison at Knoxville, Tennessee.
It went into winti^r quarters, January 12, 1864, at Larkensville, Alabama.
The regiment was nuistered into the service as a veteran organization
on the 22d of January, and at once started to Ohio on furlough. Return-
ing, it entered on the Atlanta campaign on tiie 1st of May. It
participated in a general engagement at Resaca, and at Dallas, and in
a severe skirmish at New Hope Church, June Gth and 7th. It was in
the general assault uj)oii Keuesaw Mountain, Juue 27th, losing tweuty-
4'ight killed and wouiideil, and was in a liatth^ on tlie east side of Atlaida,
July 21st and 22d, sustaining a loss of ninety-four killed, wounileil and
missing. The Fifty-fourth lost eight men killed and wounded at Ezra
Chapel, July 28th; and from tlie 2i)tli of July to the 27th of August,
it was almost continually engaged in skirmishing before Atlanta, was
in the march to Savannah, and assisted in the eaplure of Fort McAllister,
Decembei- hltli. It was closely engaged in the vicinity of Columbia,
and pai'ticipateil in tlii; last battle of Sherman's army at .Heiitonsville,
North (!ai-oliiia, on j\Iareh 21, IHCr). The iH'giment nuirched to liich-
mond, Virginia, and tlience to AVashington City, where it engaged in
the grand revi(!W. It was mustered out at Camp Dennison, Ohio,
August 2-4, 1865.
During its term of service the Fifty-fourth ]?egiment marched a
distance of 15,682 miles, pai'ticipated in four sieges, nine severe
skirmishes, fifteen general engagements, and sustained a loss of 506 men
killed, wounded and missing.
TiiK Gki{m.\n Onic IIundrkd and Seventh
The One Hundred and Seventh Regiment was composed almost
enlii-ely of (iermans and recruited ])riMcipally in (y'levelaiid. Comjiany
(J was raised to a large extent in Lorain County. It was mustered into
tbe service at Cleveland, September !), 1S62, and mustered out, July Id,
1865, at Charleston, South (Carolina.
ITISTOTIY OF LORAIN COUNTY 271
Coimnissionod officers: Captain, Anton Peterson, resigned Novein-
l)cr 7, 1S(;2.
I"'irsl liciilcMaMl, .loliii ITaCf, n'sif^^iicd Novi'iidici' 2I{, lK(iI{.
Second liciilciianl, (Jliarlfs l'\ Marskey, promoted lirst lieutenant
November 25, 1862; resigned January 12, 1863.
Fatalities: Nicholas i5urr, died .Alarch 25, 1865.
Joseph Cramer, died of wounds, January 22, 1863.
^Michael Klinshern, died prisoner, January 13, 1864.
:\Iathias Pfeifer, died January 25, 1863.
Peter Simniei', died prisoner, January 7, ]864.
Joliii Weber, killed in battle, July 1, 1863.
i\lartiii Walls, died prisoner, November 16, 1863.
Company E, which contained a few Lorain County men, had the
same length of service as Company G, and both were mustered out
with their regiment.
The One Hundred and Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
was organized at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, and lay in camp at
that place until late in September, when it moved under orders to
Covington, Kentucky. The niove was made with reference to the
antiei])ated attack on Cincinnati l)y Kirby Smith's Confederate cavalry.
The regiment was next ordered to AVashiugton and for nearly a month
was engaged in the construction of fortifications around the national
capital. In Noveiid)er it was assigned to the Second Brigade, Fii'st
Division, lOleventh Army Corps, Major-General Sigel commanding. On
the 2d and 3d of iMay it i)articipated in the battle of Chancellorsville.
and suffered a loss of 220 officers and men, killed, wounded and cap-
tured. On July 1st is reached Gettysburg, was at once engaged with
the enemy on the right wing of the Union army, and was obliged to fall
back, tlirough tlie Town of Gettysl)urg, to Cemetery Hill, which it held
during the remainder of the battle. In that movement it was further
decimated to tlie number of 250, and it also lost heavily in the second
day's fight. The total loss of the regiment in the three days' battle
was over 400 out of about 550 rank and tile, with whicli it entered ; but
the remnant joined in the pursuit of the enemy. Its subsequent engage-
ments were light, the most important being at Sumterville, South
Carolina, March 23, 1865, where it eaptui-ed quite a detachment of the
defeated enemy. On Ai)ril 16, 1865, news was received of the surrender
of Lee's aTid Jobnsfon's armies. Three weeks fhereafler tlie regiment
was laken liy steamer to Cbai'lesloii, Soulli (Carolina, wliere if was
muslered out of tlie serviee and sent lioiiU; to ('leVeland, where Ww
soiiliei's wei'e ])ai(l oil' and discharged.
•)T81II
272 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Other Infantuy Bodies
Company C, One Ihuulred and Seventy-sixth Regiment, was mus-
tard into the serviee for o..e year, in Septenih.r, 18C4. Its co.u.m.h-
sioned offieers were: Captain, Aaron K. Lindsley, mustered out with
eompany. • . -i o nicr
First lieutenant, Joseph A. Lovejoy, promoted captain April 8, l«bj,
and assigned to Company II ; mustered out with company.
Second lieutenant, Kamson real)ody, promoted to first lieutenant
April 8, 1S65, and assigned to Company C; mustered out with company.
Several of its members died before the muster-out of June, 18Gu, as
follows: Luther S. Brown, died December IG, 18G-i.
All)ert Forbes, died December 5, ISG-i.
James Foote, died INIay 2, 1865.
Nathan Gray, died Noveml)er 2, 1864.
]\Iorris W. Plain, died April 14, 1865.
Albert S. Reynolds, died December 24, 1864.
Company C, One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Regiment, was mus-
tered in for a year in April, 1865, but its services were only required
until the following July.
B.vTTERY B, Light Artillery
Quite a number of the men from Lorain County joined the light
artillery service of the state. Battery B and the Fifteenth Independent
Battery were the representative commands from Lorain County. The
former was mustered into the service October 8, 1861; re-enlisted Jan-
uary 4, 1864, and was mustered out July 22, 1865. The Independent
Battery's service commenced in January, 1862, and ended in June, I860.
Non-commissioned ofticers of Battery B: Corporal, Addison J.
Blanchard. discharged on account of disability, July 15, 1862.
Corporal, Alon/.o Starr, died of fever at .Alount Vernon, Kentucky,
November 19, 1861.
Corporal, Harvey P. Fenn, died of fever at LeI)anon, Kentucky, I eh-
ruary 22, 1862. . .
Corp. ^lerwin Blanchard. discharged l)y reason of severe injury
caused liy his horse leaping a fenc while endeavoring to escape the
enemy, ])y whom he was cai)tured and paroled.
Corp. Lewis R. Penfield, promoted to sergeant October 2, 1862;
re-enlisted as veteran volunteer, January 4, 1864.
liesides tlie deatlis of ("orporals Starr and Fenn, Tliomas Wliito
died at Lebanon, Kentucky, February IS, 1862, and Leonard G. Starr,
IllSTOKV OF LORAIN COUNTY 273
who joined tlii' liiiltciy ScpU'ialn'r 28, 18G2, died oL' IVvcr on tlu; 27tli of
Novciidn'i" I'ollowiiiff.
iJalliTy J*., I''ii'.s1, Ohio Ijij^ht Artiili'i'y, wiis off^Miu/cid iiL (Jariip J)cii-
iiisoii and miistfrud into the sca-viee October 8, 18U1, with an aggivj^atc
slrt'iigtli of 147 iiujii. liy onU'i- of Clon. 0. M. iMiteliull it left Cincinnati
to report to (Jen. Oeorf^e 11. Thomas, then in eoiiunand at Camp Diek
Robinson," Kentucky. The iirst experience it had in tiic Held was a brisk
little affair at Camp Wild Cat, in which it fired twelve rounds and
silenced one of the enemy's guns. From Wild Cat it inarched to
London, Kentucky, where it remained two weeks. On November 5th,
the battery, under orders, joined tlie Seventeenth Oliio at Fishing Creek,
and was engaged during the wiiole of that nionlli in skirmishes and scout
duty, with licadquartei-s at Somerset. On January 27th, it moved to
]\Iill Springs to re-enforce General Thomas. It took part in tlie battle
of Mill Springs, and performed very effective service. On February
lOtli, it took up its line of marcli for Louisville, Kentucky, where it
embarked for Nashville; arriving there, it was assigned to Colonel
Barnett's Artillery Reserve.
On July 18, 1862, the battery reported to Major-General Nelson at
]\Iurfrces))oro, and during the months of July, August and September
was almcst constantly on the march, and frequently engaged in
skirmishes with the enemy. On December 26th it moved with its brigade
and division from Nashville towards IMurfreesboro, skirmishing heavily
in and about La Vergne. It was there that John Blanchard, afterward
county recorder, lost his right arm. In the battle of Stone River
Battery B was stationed on the left of General Negley's division. It
was involved in the disaster on the right, but succeeded in withdrawing
all its guns from the field. It bore its full part in the battle, and lost
seventeen men, killed, wounded, and missing, and twenty-one horses
killed. On June 24, 18G3, it joined in the advance of the National forces
on Tullahoma, and on September 19th, it engaged in the battle of
Chickamauga. On the next day it was charged by the enemy, but
succeeded in beating him off. A second charge soon followed which
overwhelmed the battery, and it was obliged to leave two of its guns
in tlie hands of the enemy. In this charge sevei'al members of the
battery were wounded and captured. This was at the siege of Chat-
tanooga. On January 4, 1864, sixty-five of the original members of
Ihc batlery I'e-ciilisled as vetci'uns, and wen; furh)ughed home for thirty
days. The liattery returned to Na.shville in JMarcli, and on the IGtli
of tliat iiionlh reported at Bridgeport, Ahd)ama, where it remained until
July, 1866. It was then sent home to Columbus and tliere uiusterod
o\it, being ouv of llie last organizations to leave llie .service.
Vol. I— IS
274 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Fifteenth Ohio Independent Battery
01' 1.1ios(; j'csidiiif,' in Loniin County .Jaiiics I'liirdick, i)roinot(;(l from
firsf, lieutenant, was at one time L-aptain of the Kiflcentli Independent
]5attery. The nieinbei-s who died were as follows: William lierry, at
Vicksljurg, iMississippi, Aiigust 7, 1863 ; George AV. Knoup, at Memphis,
Tennessee, September 23, 1862; John H. Taylor, Curtis E. Thompson,
and Lyman W. Smith, in the same city, during 1863; Chester Phillips,
at Collier^'i]le, Tennessee, February 7, 1863; John H. Taft, at LaGrange,
Tennessee, January 23, 1863, and Charles I. Spencer, at home (date
luiknown).
The Fifteenth Ohio Independent Battery was recruited by Capt. J.
B. Burrows and First Lieut. Edward Spear, Jr. ; was mustered into
the service February 1, 1862; ordered to Cincinnati, where it embarked
February 16th, under orders for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, but on
reaching Paducah, Kentucky, was disembarked by order of General
Sherman. Horses were drawn here and the battery embarked to
report to General Grant, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. "While pro-
ceeding up the Tennessee and when near Whitehall Landing, the boat
was fired into by guerrillas from the shore. The fire was returned with
shell, under cover of which the men of the battery landed, drove the
guerrillas from their cover and captured some prisoners and horses.
In this expedition, the battery lost one man wounded. It reported to
General Grant on the 20th, and was assigned to the Fourth Division,
Army of the Tennessee. The batteiy was on the first line during the
siege of Vicksburg, having position on the Hall's Ferry Road, southeast
of the city and within 200 yards of their line. In this, as in all
engagements in which the battery figured, most excellent service was
performed. The Fifteenth was with General Sherman and participated
in his famous "march to the sea." An incident is related that at the
battle of Chattahoochee River a bird flew upon the shoulder of Private
Scth Bowers, who was acting No. 1 on one of the guns, where it remained
during the engagement. At every discharge of the piece, the bird would
thrust its head in the man's hair. After the recoil, it would again take
its position on the man's shoulder and watch the operations of loading.
After the battle, th(^ bird remained around the men's quarters, but,
after a few days, disappeared.
The Fifteenth Batt<'ry was mustered out June 20, 1865, at Columbus,
Ohio.
Second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry
The Second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Cavalry was organized at
Cami) \Vad(', Cleveland, in the fall of 1861, and served for three years.
IIISTORV OF I.OIiMN (BOUNTY 21^)
A ])ortioii of the men then re-enlisted, thereby heeoining veterans of
the serviee.
'I'h(! local e()iii|)any, II, was imistered into tlu; serviee in Oetolier,
]8G1, and served as a body nntil He[)teiiiber, .1805.
Coinniissioned officers: Captiiin, Aaron K. Lindsley, discharged
February 15, 1863, and second lieutenant, Franklin S. Case, promoted
captain.
The Second Cavalry was recruited and organized in the sunnuer and
autuinu of 1801, under the supervision of the lion. Benjamin F. Waile
and Hon. John Ilutehins, who received special authority from the war
office. The regiment rendezvoused at Camj) Wade, near Cleveland,
Ohio, and the last company was mustered in on the 10th of October,
1861. lieing the first cavalry regiment raised in the northern part of
the state, it drew into its ranks a large proportion of wealth, intelligence,
capacity and culture. Men and officers were almost wholly from the
AVestcrn Reserve, and represented every trade and profession. The
Second was uniformed, mounted and partly drilled at Cleveland, and
in November was ordered to Camp Dennison, where it received sabers
and contiiHied drilling during the month of December. Early in <lan-
luiry, 1862, under ordors from the war ticpartment, the Second pro-
ceeded, by rail to Platte City, ]\Iissouri.
On the 18th of February, Doubleday's Brigade, of which the Second
was a part, was ordered to march through the border counties of
]\Iissouri to Fort Scott, Kansas. On the 22d of February, and during
tile march, a scouting i)arty of 120 men of the Second Ohio Cavalry was
attacked in the streets of Independence, jMissouri, by an equal force,
under command of Quantrel. As the result of the Second's "first fight,"
Quantrel was routed in fifteen minutes, losing five killed, four woiuided
and five captured, including one officer. The Second lost one killed and
three wounded. Arriving at its destination about March 1st, it remained
for several months doing garrison and scouting duty. In the fall fol-
lowing, it participated in tlie campaign ending in the victory of Prairie
(Jrove, Arkansas, December ;j, 1862. It also fougiit at Carthage and
Xewtonia, Missouri, and at Cow Hill, Wolf Creek, and AVhite Kiver,
Arkansas. In November and December, the Second was transferred to
the Eastern army, moving by rail to Camp Chase, Ohio, to remount and
refit for the field. Tliis accomi)lished, the regiment left early in Ai)ril
for Somerset, Kentucky, and remained in camp lliei'e, witli the exception
of an occasional reconnoissance, until tlie 27th of June.
In May and June, the Second fought twice at Steubenville, twice at
Monticello, and once at Columbia, Kentucky. On the 1st of July it
joined in tlie pursuit of John I\Iorgan, and followed the great raider
276 HISTORY OV LORAIN COUNTY
1,200 miles, through three states, marching twenty liours of the twenty-
four, living wholly upon the gifts of the i)eoi)le for twenty-seven days
and finally sharing in the capture at Buffington Island. On January 1,
18G4, nearly the entire regiment re-eidisted and it was mustered out at
Camjj Ciiase, Ohio, September 11, 1865.
The Second Regiment campaigned through thirteen states and one
territory. It marched an aggregate distance of 27,000 miles; fought in
ninety-seven battles and engagements; served in five different armies,
forming a continuous line of armies from the headwaters of the Arkansas
to the mouth of th& James.
The Twelfth Ohio Cavalry
Company F, of the Twelfth Cavalry Regiment, served from October,
1863, to November, 1865. First Lieut. Reuben XL Sardane, of Lorain
County, who had been first lieutenant, was promoted to the captaincy.
The fatalities: Sergt. AVilliam W. Worcester, died October 19, 1864;
Sergt. Charles II. Sherburne, died from wounds December 13, 1864;
Corp. George C. Rising, died March 20, 1864; Charles :\I. Hall, died
from wounds, June 16, 1864. t
The Twelfth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, was recruited dur-
ing the months of September and October, 1863, from nearly every
county in the state, rendezvousing at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland,
where it was mustered into the service on the 24th day of November,
1863. One-half of the regiment was engaged in doing guard duty,
during the winter of 1863-64, on Johnson's Island, having been ordered
thither on the 10th of November. The regiment was mounted, armed
and equipped at Camp Dennison, and moved successively to Louisville,
Lexington and i\Iount Sterling, Kentucky. Little of importance tran-
spired until the 23d of ]\Iay, when the regiment was a portion of General
Burbridge's command on the first Saltville raid. On the arrival in the
vicinity of Pound Gap, after eight days' marching, it became evident
that John ^Morgan had entered Kentucky, and the command immediately
started in pursuit. After severe marching, with but little time for
eating or sleeping, the command arrived at Mount Sterling on the 9th
of June, 1864. The Twelfth was closely engaged with the enemy at
this point, behaving with so mucli gallantry, as to be especially coin-
l)limcnlcd by General |{iir!)ridge. Tlie Tweinii again overlook iMorgau
at Cynthiana and fought with him, scattering his forces in every
direction. The regiment charged through the town, crossed the river,
and pursued the retreating cavalrymen for tliree days. During the
second (■xi)edition to Saltville in Se[)teml)er, it became necessary to
HISTORY OF LOIJAIN COUNTY 277
silence ii liiittcry jjosted U])on a liill; the 'I'weH'tli, with its Iji-if^ade,
(•h<u-{:;e(i ii[) tiio iiill and ilrovc the eiicniy from liis works. Afterward
the rcf^iiiicnt. ciicaiiipt'd at Jjexinj^toii, until ordered to Crali Oreiiard to
join anotiier Saltviilo expedition.
The divi.sion left Crab Orehard on the 22d of November, during a
severe snow-storm, and moved to Bean's Station. On the night of their
arrival the Twelfth made a sueee.ssful reconnoissance to Rogerville. It
did its full share of duty under General Stoneman, at Bristol, at Abing-
don, at i\larion, and thence as support to General Gillam in his pursuit
of Vaughn. It then returned to jMarion, where (Jeneral Stoneinan
engaged Breckenridge for forty hours and finally defeated him. In
this engagement all of the Twelfth bearing sabers, participated in a
grand eiiarge, driving back the enemy's cavalry. The regiment behaved
gallantly throughout the fight, and received the praise of Generals
Stoneman and Burbridge. On the 21st of December Saltville was cap-
tured, and the forces returned to Richmond, Kentucky, where head-
(luartcrs were established. As a result of this raid four boats were
captured, 150 miles of railroad, thirteen trains and locomotives, lead
mines, salt works, iron foundries; and an immense quantity of stores of
all soi-ts were destroyed. During tlie raid. Company V acted as escort
to General liurbridge. About tiie middle of Febi-uary the regiment was
thoi'oughly armed, ecpiipped and mounteil. It then pi'oceeded by way
of Louisville and the I'iver to Nasliville, arriving .March 6th. Thence it
irmved to i\lurfreesboro and Knoxville, where it again formed part of a
raiding expedition under General Stoneman. Tlie Twelfth finally
rendezvoused at Nashville, and was mustered out on the 14tli of Novem-
ber, 1865; tJien proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, where ii was i)aid and
discharged on the 22d and 2;{d of the same month, after two years of
incessant service.
Other Civil War Org.\nization.s
Among otlier military organizations which may be credited, at least
in jiai't, to Lorain County, may be mentioned: Company R, Sixteenth
Ohio Infantry, whicli served more than a year of the later war period;
Company G, Seventy-second Regiment, with a record of over three years
in the field; Company C, Eighty-sixth Regiment, a six months' organi-
zation; ('oinpany D, Eighty-seventh lieginuint, which served tliree
months; Company C, One Hundred and Eleventh, a three years' com-
mand ; Company K, One Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment, Ohio
National Guard (100 day men) ; Company A, B and G, Twenty-seventh
Regiment United States Coloi-ed Troojjs; Fifth Independent Company
278 HISTORY OK liORAIN COUNTY
oi' Sharp SlioottTS, wlio .served from Deceiiibcr, 18G2, to July, 18()5, and
the so-ealled Hoffman's Battalion, comprising' Companies B, C, D, E, F,
I, On(; Iliindred and Twenty-eighth Kegiment, Ohio Volunteer Jnl'aiitry.
The One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment, although chielly
oeeujjied in guard duty within the borders of the state, was an organi-
zation of three years' troops, enlisted and mustered into the United
States service the same as other volunteer troops, and was liable to
service wherever required. It attained maximum strength on the 25th
of December, 1863, and consisted of four companies before known as
the Hoffman Battalion raised at different times in 1862. At and before
the time of forming the regiment, the* Hoffman Battalion was under the
command of a lieutenant-colonel and major. Six new companies were
mustered in at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, between the 8th and 15lh
of Jaiuiary, 1864. The four old companies had been on duty at John-
son's Island n(>arly all the time since their muster-in, but had frequently
furnished detachments for service elsewhere, including a shoi't l)Ut active
cami)aign in pursuit of Confederate troops in West Virginia in 1862.
The One Hujidred and Twenty-eighth was chiefly occupied at th(^
frontier posts of Johnson's Island and Sandusky. Fortune did not give
the regiment an opportunity to win a battle-record, but it performed all
the duties assigned to it with faithfulness and efficiency — both essentials
of military sei'vice and success. The regiment left the island on July 10,
186.'), aiul was nuistered out at Camp Ciiase, on the 17th of that month.
The fatalities reported during tiie foregoing period of service, were
as follows: Company B — Privates William II. Lindman and Amasa
S(]uires, the former of whom died July ;{, 1862, and the latter, Novem-
ber 8, 186-1.
Company 1) — Sergt. Andrew Ryan, died ]\Iarch 2i), 186:}; privates,
George Piiipijs (died October 24, 1862), Henry C. Royce (February 15,
1863), and Andrew F. Hamlin (January 23, 1863).
Company E — (ieorge Puff died January 2, 1865.
Fifth Regiment, Ohio National Cuakd
Tile Ohio National Guard, as the organization affects Lorain Countj',
originated in the Ely Guards, afterward changed to the Hart Guards.
They were nuistered into the service of the state in July, 1877, to serve
foi- a ])criod of live years. The organization was soon afterward assigned
to till' Fifteenth Regiment as Company G, with liead([uarters at Cleve-
land. AVith the subsequent reorganization of the Ohio National Guard,
into nine regiments of infantry, with cavalry, artillery, signal and
cnginrcring corps, and marine companies, to complele the slate militiiry
HISTORY OF LOKAIX COUNTY 279
system, tlie various units of tiu' Fifth liogiiiieut were distributed tlirough
Nortlicastoru Oliio. Company headcjuarters were' establislied at Cleve-
land, lierea, J'llyria, Noi'walk, Oeneva, Warren and Youngstown. Com-
j»any H is stationed at Eiyria, with Capt. Roy E. Ilultz in eomniand. It
was oiganized at Elyria January 25, ]!)07. Captain Ilultz' pi'edecessors
were Captains II. W. Davis, S. A. Beyland, J. L. Richey and II. B.
Clawson. The present strength of tlie eompany is fifty, ineluding three
ofiieers.
CHAPTER XIV
LAND ROUTES
Great Ixdian Shore Trail — The (Jirdleu and State Roads — Early
Post Routes — Canals Give Lorain the Go-By — The Old Turn-
pikes — The Stage Era — Elyria, First Railroad Center — Rail-
roads Crush Side- Wheel Steamers — The Awakening ov Lorain —
"When the Railroad Came" — The Great Railroad Docks — The
New York Central Systeji — The Electric Lines — ]\L\cadam
Roads.
Witli the exception of tlie Indian trail along the lake shore, which
was also used by traders, missionaries, soldiers and the pioneer settlers
of the Western Reserve, the territory now embraced in Lorain County
had nothing which by the most painful stretch of the imagination could
be called a road, when its first settlements connneneed in 1807-10.
Inland, there were numerous Indian patlis which led from one Indian
village to another, or from stream to stream. The Indians used the
creeks and streams for transportation sometimes, but as their courses
were winding and therefore longer than land trails most of their travel
was done on foot.
Great Indian Shore Trail
But until Lorain County was well settled the lake shore route was
the main line by land. In 1796, the same year that the surveyors came
into the R<.'serve, the Moravian missionary, Ileekewelder, published a
map based on his travels, showing numerous Indian paths, the main
trails being from Pittsburgh, through what is now Trumbull County,
toward the lake shore. It followed the shores of Lake Erie from a point
further east and in the direct line of travel most convenient for the
Indians of the Six Nations and white travelers from AVestern New York
and Northern New England. The trails .shown on the Ileekewelder map
all converge at the mouth of the Cuyahoga. The main lake slioi'e line
280
:.)i 'l/.L.
HISTORY OF J.OKA IN COlJxNTY 281
ol travel readies tlie IMoraviaii villages oecupied lemjjorarily in 1786-87,
altiioiigli its lessening iiiiportaiiee is evident after it passes tlie mouth of
the Cuyahoga.
TlJE GlKDLED AND StATE RoADS
One of the first woi'ks aeeomplislied liy tlie surveyors employed by
the Conneotieut Land Company was to lay out a road along the old
Jiidiau trail, from the nortlieastern eoriier of the Reserve at Conneaut
to Cleveland. Where it entered the timber the trees were girdled thirty-
three feet eaeh side, and for that reason was called the (iirdled Road.
It was completed in 1798, and about the same time the more southern
thoroughfare, known as the Kirtland or State Road, was put through
from tlie Pennsylvania line by way of what are now Trumbull, (Jeauga
and Lake counties to Fairport, at the moutli of (irand River midway
between Conneaut and Cleveland.
Later, came tlie old ChillicotlK; Road, ])ut tlu'ougii from Kirtland,
liake County, on the line of tlie State Road to Ciiillicotlie, tiie state
capital.
Ihit all these roads were of little benefit to the residents of Lorain
County, who came to the country some years later. In fact, it was not
until tiiirty years after the laying out of the Girdled Road along the
lake shore tiiat its settlers, even a few miles inland, saw any material
improvement in their transportation conveniences.
Early Post Routes
The lir.st mail in the AVestern Reserve west of Cleveland was carried
by Horace Gun in 1808. The route was from Cleveland to the Mauniee.
The only houses on the route were one at Black River, occupied by
A/.ariah Peebe, and one at IMilan, occupied by a Frenchman liy tiie name
of Flemins. In I80'J the mail over this route was carried by Beiioni
Adams, of Columbia. It recpiired two weeks to make the trip. The only
I'oad was the Indian trail along the lake, and the carrier went on foot.
There was no postoffice between Cleveland and the ]\Iaumee, no way
mails, and but few who could eitlier read or write. The carrier was
compelled, from the length of the route, to lodge one niglit in the Black
Swamp.
In 1818 a post route was established between Cleveland and Lower
Sandusky, and Elyria became one of the .stations, with Ilcman Ely as
postmaster. The official duties were not espcH-ially wearing upon his
vigorous pliysifjue, as the mail for the fir.st year was carried Imt once a
frm it'itSHiliv
282 IILSTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
week, and aftXT tliat, i'oi- .some tiiiio, twice weekly; but even these uecoiii-
iiiotlations were eonsidereil somewhat unusual bel'ofe the year 1820.
Judye Ely continued to be Elyria's postmaster for fifteen years.
The postmastersliip was not lucrative enough to warrant any political
tight over it, but the mail route was considered by the pioneer business
nuin as something quite desiral)le. In 1826 Artenias Beebe and Ezra
Adams became proprietors of the route, and in 1827 the former went to
AVashington and, through the iniiuenee of Judge Ely and Elisha Whittle-
sey, secured the contract for carrying the mail from Cleveland to
Fremont, Sandusky County, and as his six-passenger coach was the first
to appear in tlie western part of the Reserve, it created fully as much
excitement as did the first railroad train which commenced to run
through tile same country a quarter of a century later.
Canals Give Lorain the Go-By
The Beel)e stage line was something, but far from satisfactory. Even
in tile late '20s and the '30s, when Ohio's system of internal improve-
ments was under way, the canals and the turnpikes built between the
lake and the Ohio passed either to the east or the west of Lorain County.
Clex'eland and Sandusky were naturally favored at the expense of the
City antl County of Lorain.
The Old Turnpikes
Even as late as 1830 there were only about 100 miles of public roads,
or turnpikes, in the entire territory of the old Western Resei"ve, and
none in Lorain County. The First Range turnpike, sixteen miles in
length, commenced near tlie northeast corner of the state and ended at
the mouth of Conneaut Creek ; the Trumbull and Ashtabula turnpike,
forty-eight miles, was fi-om AVarren to Ashtabula, and the third
thoroughfare, fifty-one miles, had its southern terminus at Wooster,
Wayne County, and followed the route to Cleveland by way of Medina.
In the year mentioned (1830), a fourth turnpike was under construction
from Columbus to Sandusky, 106 miles; but neither did this penetrate
any Lorain County territory. These highways are mentioned to show
the paucity of such accommodations in other parts of the state, more
thickly settled, and to indicate that the people of Lorain County were
not so fai- behind the times after all.
The Stage Era
In 1820 a stage line was also established between Cleveland and
Columbus, and soon thereafter to Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Tliis system,
;'//
lIISTOltY OK J.()I{AIN COUNTY 283
with Cli'voland as its center, eoiiiici'ted with tlie Elyria-Norwalk line,
eoiitrolletl by Mr. Jioehe; so that tliu county seat was l)y no means isolated
duiiii^' the thirty years which covei'ed the sta<^<; era, whiin the eiKiclies
thiiiuh'red ah)n^' the i-idj^e i-oads which parallehnl the lake sliore and the
liuf^de and tlie vvliip-erack eidivened the villages and lianilets along the
well-traveh'd routes.
Elyki.v, First Iv.mlkoau Center
Before the coming of the railroads many roads had been opened in
Lorain County away from the lake shore, especially between Wellington,
01)erlin, Klyria and Lorain, and in 1850 commenced the new era. ' Li
tluit year tiie Junction Railroad, now tlie Lake Shore and I\liclugaii
iSouthern, was completed, l)y way of Elyi-ia and Amheiist, looping south-
ward through the county several miles from Lake Erie and Lorain. It
was not until 1866 that the line to Toledo, by way of Oberlin and
Norwalk, Huron County, was opened, its completion gave Elyria two
oast and west outlets by rail, and Lorain seemed destined to be neglected
by all enterprises designed to furnish adequate land traiisi)ortation.
liAnj!()Ai),s Crhsii SioE-WiiEEL Stkamicrs
Then, in 1850-52 came the Cleveland, Colum])us & Cincinnati, Cleve-
land & I'ittsbui'gh, Cleveland & Toledo and tli(! (Cleveland & Ashtabula,
or ijake Shore, connecting with the New York Central and Erie lines.
"Thus, as early as 1852," .says a local writer, "a complete line was
in operation from the seacoast to Chicago, and even to Koek Island on
the Mississippi river. This great system of travel and tran.sport had
the immediate effect of sweeping from the chain of lakes, as it had the
stages from the land, the line of splendid side-wheel steamers and float-
ing palaces that for many years had plied between Bulfalo and Chicago,
each crowded with hundreds of passengers.
"The railroads changeil the order of business at Cleveland, and for
a brief season the lake conunerce at that port presented a gloomy aspect,
and the total ruin of the marine industry was prophesied. Eortuiuitely,
however, tlie Cleveland & IMahoning Valley Railroad was soon completed,
extending into the great coal fields, opening up a new territory to trade
and laying the foundation and stimulating manuracluring enterprises."
The City of Lorain passed through the same experience as Cleveland.
The causes were general and widespread and in both eases I lie I'csuit of
|>lacing them in touch, by rail, with the rieji coal districts of tlie .soiitii-
easl, was lo stimulate them as indiisli'ial centers, lo give Iheir lake
■hi-^ur
284 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
foiiiinercc a lU'W lease of life uiuU'r vn.stly eiilar^ced conditions, and
event iially to fiirjiisli tliem willi (•oiiii)lete railway eoiineelions as well,
east and \V(;st. In otliei- words, as I'ar as lliis county was concerned,
J>oi-ain had now tlie advantage of Elyria and the interior points.
The Awakening of J.okain
With the advent of the year 1S72 (-aine the notable awakening-. The
Clevelanil, ivoraia & Wheeling Railway was jjiojeeted, anil in August
of tiiat year its first passenger train entered Lorain. Its southern
terminus was then still far north of the Oiiio Kiver, but the road nevor-
tlieless served as an oi)en door yielding eoiiununication with a world
wliirli iiad been shut oil', tapping at Elyria the great east autl west trunk
line wliose advantages hatl uuiintained cominereial supreuuu'y at the
county seat and, opening to the vast and prolific coal regions, it traversed
a i)ort a1 the nioutli oF the Black liiver whence distribution of their
yield could be maile at a luininuini co.st to any point upon the chain of
lakes. The creation of tiiis direct air line, straight as the bee Hies,
fi-oni north to south, from Lake ICrie to the Ohio Kiver, developed Loi'aiu
as a most advantageous point of transshipment for the ore juoduced in
the norlbern jx-niusular iron region and bi'ouglit by water to liiul con-
version into steel in the immense mills of the rennsylvania ii'onuuisters.
The lumber of the Wisconsin and ]\linnesota pinei'ies, seeking the least
costly route to a market, also found here rare facilities for an interchange
of cargoes. AVith such a start, accelerated by the natural reijuirements
of commerce, that vast trade wherein the ore and hnuber of the north-
west exchanges itself on I^orain docks for the fuel aiu! mill products of
the ceidi'al .states, became established and thiived anuizingly. .\either
tlu> rail lines nor the lake freighters are compelled to go empty-iiautled
either in oi- out. The one bears in its coal and returns with ore and
lumber. The other discharges lumber and ore and goes back loaded
with fuel and iron. Since 1899 the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling line
lias been a part of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern .system. The
main line is from Bridgeport, Ohio, to Cleveland, 160 miles, with a
l)ranch of thirty-one miles from Lester to Lorain.
"AViTEN THE EaiEROAD CaME"
The Lorain Times-IIerald lias the following regarding this first of
the railroads which started the city toward pei-manent growtii and
prospei'ity; the account fills in with details the general narrative which
has ali-eady been presented: " 'AVhen the I'ailroad canu'.' So spoke
HISTORY OK I.ORAIN COUNTY 285
the lioraiuitcs of aiiotluT day, datiiitj; tlic liappciiiu^s of tlieir lives from
llir (vciil llial iiiai'krd in their coiiiiiimiity a Krciit awalcciiiiij,' -an
awakcniiit,' that followed yearH of diseoiiraf^'inj,' n-lupse. When tin-
j'ailroad came, liOrain was yiveii a new lease on life.
"The railroad was the Cleveland and Tuscarawas Valley, which line,
tappinj;' the coal fields of soullieasterii Ohio, touched the banks of lilack
Itiver in 1872. Since lcS72 that pioneer railroad that hrout,dit renewed
hope and communal life has i)asscd through eiiangcs in name and owner-
ship, I)ut day by day and year by year the foresight of its founders has
been vindicated.
"Today that which was the Cleveland and Tuscai-awas Valley rail-
road is a division of the Baltimore and Ohio, the oldest railroad .system
in America and one of the greatest. At its Lorain terminal the Balti-
more i.^ Ohio is transshipping annually quantities of coal and iron that
are running into liillions of tons. Its facilities here represent an invest-
ment running into millions of dollars. Hundreds of men find employment
upon its tiMininal premises. To her wonderful harbor and to the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad Lorain must give the credit for her reputation
as a leader among the shipping points of the Great Lakes.
"It was the failure of the Cleveland and Toledo railroad to pass
through Lorain and tlie selection of the route throiigh the county .seat,
Elyria, that brought a commercial relapse to Lorain (Charleston then)
after the lieydey years of wooden shipbuilding and lake trading. Com-
merce Howed to Klyria and the village at the mouth of tiie Black River
shunbered.
"15ut the coal fields of southeastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and
West \'irginia were overflowing with a product that could find no outlet.
A few men saw the possibilities of building a railroad from the coal
mines direct to the lakes; and among these were Selah Chamberlain,
W. S. Streator and Amasa Stone, Cleveland capitalists. ^Vith other.S' to
aid them in linaiicing the project, Cliamberlain, Streator and Stones late
in the 60 's organized the Cleveland and Tuscarawas Valley railroad.
It was originally proposed that the lake terminal of the line should be
Cleveland. The southern end was to be Uhriehsville, Ohio.
"The project became a reality, and the Cleveland-to-IIhrich.sville line
began o|)eration. After a year or so bu.sine.ss had ])econie so flourishing
that an extension to Lorain was proposed. Land was i)urchased on the
west side of Black River for dockage facilities, a right-of-way was
impi'oved, and the Lorain braneli began operation. This was in 1872.'"
286 HISTORY OP LOR AT N COUNTY
THH (lUIOAT Railkoai) DoCKS
Altliou^,'!! flu! (lock fjunlilics of the old (;i(!V(!l!Ui(l and TuscaniwaH
Valley line at JiOraiii wcit at fifst ci-iidc, the husiiio.ss of shi|)j)iiig the
on; at tlu; ujjpcr lake rcf^ion to the I'eiinsylvaiiia nulls and reeciviiig
coal for disti'ilHitioii throu^'hout the uoi-tliwcst was the basis of a solid
(■oiiiiiKMTial expansion froiu tlu; (irst. Until IHH'.i \\u: southern terminus
of the system was Uhrielisville, Tuscarawas County, where it connected
with tlie J^^nnsylvallia system, but in that year a direct line was built
southeast to the Ohio River, and the Cleveland, Lorain and \Yheeling,
of the Baltimore and Ohio system, was created. Jn 1900 the Jialtiinore
and Ohio absorbed the line and thencerorth terminal facilities at Lorain
were expanded with redoubled speed. The story of that exjjansion,
which is such a marked feature of the city's gi'owth, is deferred to the
pages devoted to its history.
The New York Central System
Neither the City or the County of Lorain at first realized the advan-
tages of being i)laced in railway connection with the rich and populous
regions of three states bordering ou the Ohio River, as the entire country
was soon in the throes of the stagnation following the panic of 1878.
The storm and the depression had been weathered, however, by the early
'80s, when the Nickel Plate (the New York Central) line was constructed
nearer the lake than the old Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, and
gave Lorain a direct east and west outlet. At the same time, such lesser
])oints as Avon, Sheffield and Brownhelm were accommodated.
It ma}' serve to create a better understanding on the part of tho.se
not familiar with the relations of the great railroad systems which cover
Northern Ohio to note that the New York Central system controls the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company, the main line of
which runs from Butfalo to Toledo, via Norwalk, with a branch from
Elyria to Milll)ury Junction, seventy-three miles. The Lake Erie,
Alliance & Wheeling Railroad Comjiany came into the system in 1912.
The railroad popularly known as the Nickel Plate is ol'ti(^ially
designated as the New York, (Chicago & St. Louis, and is within the
New York Central system.
The Wheeling & Lake P^rie Railroad, which pa.sses through the .south-
western ])art of the county, taking in Brighton and Wellington as
.stations, is conti'ollcd ))y the AVabash Pitt.sburgh Terminal Railway
("ompany. It runs from Lak(! Junction to Soutii Lorain and is for
fi'eight .service only.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
287
The Electric Lines
Tlieri! is prol);il)ly no scc.'tioii of tlie IJiiitcd States vvliieh is more
llioroiiglily jx'ovided with electric roads than Nortlierii Ohio, and Lorain
County is in the very lieart of tiie best system. The Lake Shore Electric
Railway, running from Cleveland to Toledo, a distance of 125 miles, is
the longest traction line in the United States under one management.
It completes Lorain's free outlets to the east and west. The Cleveland,
Southwestern and Columbus line connects J^orain, Elyria, Oberlin,
Grafton and Amherst with minor points. A more local line is known
Status of Lorain County Highways
as the Lorain Street Railway, specially connecting Lorain with Oberlin,
and is chiefly patronized by the hundreds of workmen connected with
the great .steel plant in South Lorain.
Macadam Roads
Especially within the past four years, Lorain County has beei^ con-
ducting a vigorous campaign against bad roads, with the result that
there are now within her borders 215 miles of good macadam highways,
fifty-seven miles of which have a bituminous surface; of the total, 165
miles arc credited to tlie jjcriod named, 'i'lie estimated cost of construc-
lioii is .'|il,2()(),0()(). Li addition to the macadam roads of the county,
concrete road has been constructed to the extent of over ten miles, of
which only about a mile has been built by the townships. The foregoing
figures are given upon the authority of C. T. Biggs, road engineer.
CHAPTER XV
CORPORATE LORAIN
Black River "Boom" of the '30s — Rise and Pall, of Charleston —
The Saviors of the Town — Viliage Chahtered as Lorain — First
School and Police Department — Increase of Population — Incor-
poration as a City — Conserving Physical and Intellectual
Health — The Filtration Plant — The Fire Department — Early
Educational Items — Lorain's First Union School — Special
School Elections — Superintendents and Clerks — Statistics —
School Population — Present School Buildings — The Lorain
Free Public Library — The Postoffice.
With the coming of its first railroad in 1872, the settloiiient of
Charleston, or of Bhick River (as it was called from tlie postoffice),
commenced to talk of villayehood, and two years tiieroafter was actually
ineorj)Orated. It was j^roposed to incorporate as Charleston, but as it
was necessary to have a postoffice also and there were several of that
name in the state, the new body politic was designated as Lorain. It is
quite probable, also, that as not a few distasteful memories were attached
to the ohl days when the struggling town at the mouth of Black River
was so overshadowed by the brisk railroad village and county seat, the
reincorporation and rechristening as Lorain were matters of general
felicitation.
The general causes for the stagnation of Black River and Charleston,
which commenced with the decline of the old-time ship building and
continuing as long as the railroads neglected her, have been stated;
the details follow.
Black River "Boom" of the '30s
The Ohio Railroad was surveyed in the year 1832. It was the pioneer
enterprise of the kind in the slate, and its route, as originally surveyed,
led through the settlement of Black River. Tiie following year work
was begun on the Ohio Canal, whose terminus, it was confidently
288
HISTORY OF LOUAIN COUNTY 289
L'Xi)c'ek'cl, would 1)l' at tlie iiioutli of the Bl.iek i{iver. The expected early
eoiiipletioii oi' these two great eouuuereial enterprises gave a decided
impetus to the activity of the young town, especially in the boom of real
estate. A part ot the John S. Iteid farm at the uioiith of the river was
surveyed into lots in 1834 by Edward Durand. Soon afterward land
for a considerable distance around the Center was held as high as $1,000
an acre, while village lots were almost beyond reach. The canal went to
Cleveland, but the price of village lots and the high spirits of the
villagers were bolstered up for some time by another anticipated canal
and the railroad, work upon which was actually commenced in 1837.
In 1835 tile following were the principal business men of Black
River: William Jones, merchant; Gates & Creen, general merchandise;
Delos Phelon and 0. Root, forwarding and commission mercliants;
Daniel T. Baldwin, farmer; Barna IMeeker, proprietor of the old Reid
House; A. T. Jones, blacksmith; E. ]\liller, shoemaker; Thomas Brown,
tailor; W. E. Fitch, stave dealer; Quartus Cillmore, farmer and justice
of the peace, and Conrad Reid, postmaster.
i\Ir. (Jillmore controlled the original plat of Black River and in 1836
Mr. Reid's farm adjoining was cut up into lots. This '"boom" period
is described by Xalunn B. Gates, who, at the time was a young Vermonter
of two years' residence at Elyria and Jilack River. lie afterward
became one of the most prominent men in the county — in ])usiness, in
the building and operation of mills, in the construction of plank roads
and railroads, and in public life. Mr. Gates writes thus in the Elyria
Republican: "In early spring, 183G, State Engineer Dodge, with his
(•oi-j)s of assistants, came in from Coshocton, via Wooster, surveying
what was termed tlie Kilbuck and Black River Canal. As the engineers
came down, real estate went up. About this time Dr. Samuel Strong
put in an appearance. Ilis first purcha.se of real estate was some five
acres of land taken from the farm of Conrad Reid adjoining the village
plat of Black River. This was mapped out on paper, with streets, lanes,
etc., and sales commenced. Every person in Jilack River that could
write and had any leisure time, was set to writing out articles of agree-
ment for the Doctor and his purchasers. The five acres were soon
exhausted and the Doctor l)0ught six acres from the same farm adjoining
the five already platted. All the Black River clerical force was again
employed writing land contracts. About this time the great patroon,
IT. C. Stevens, i)ut in his appearance and gobljled up all that was left
for sale. Fie purchased the residue of Ihe (Conrad Reid farm, entering
into coiiti'act to i)ay for the same seventy-five thousand dollai-s. Tie also
purcliased of Quartus Gillmore a third-interest in the original plat of
Black River for a lilieral sum. We all dabbled in city lots more or les.s,
Oc;-
290 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
and nearly everybody in Black River and a good many in Elyria got
j-i,;|i — oil paper — in a very .siiort lime. Jl. C. Stevens claimed to bo
worth liair a million — in lact, we wt.-i'e Jill rieli."
Rise and Fall of Chakliostun
In 1836 the village was honored by the Legislature with a corpora-
tion charter by the name of Charleston, and in the spring of 1837 the
first and only charter election under that name was held. As that set
of officials never entered upon their official duties, their names did not
become a matter of record.
Charleston's monopoly of the grain business of much of the lake
region of Northern Ohio continued for ten years or more. It had stores,
grain warehouses and hotels, property was lield at a high figure and its
population reached several hundred. Of course, it is known to those
at all acquainted with state history that the original Ohio Railroad com-
pletely collapsed; but as long as other neighboring towns did not secure
railway connections Charleston, with its tine harbor and water transpor-
tation by lake, was not materially affected. But in 1851 its grain trade
was seriously curtaileil by the building of the Cleveland, Cohunbus and
Cincinnati Railroad, and in 1853 its gloom increa.sed by the commence-
ment of the Cleveland & Toleilo road. These two lines of land travel
gave Elyria the upper hand, and Charleston fell into a dead faint. Its
hotels practically closed ; its merchants de])arted ; its warehouses were
pai'titioneil among the farmers of the vicinity for barns and fences; its
cor])Oi'(ite organization was abandoned, and Charleston was placed in
the long list of defunct paper towns.
The Saviors of the Town
Although corporations may die, there are always .some vital characters
in any connnunity which has once prospered who refuse to siiccumb to
the general paralysis. "Not dead," they insist, "but only sleeping."
Several were left on the site of Charleston who still had firm faith in
the ultimate triumph of its favorable geographic i)osition for purposes
of connnerce and indu.strial expansion. Of these were IT. R. Penfield
and S. 0. Edison. ]\Ir. Penfield almost at his own expense, had a survey
iiiadi- from Kocky River to V'ermilion, through Black River (as the
])lac(' again came to Ik; called), for the ])roposed Cleveland, Rort Clinton
& Toledo Railroad; but capitalists could not be induced to fostei- the
scheme. Mr. Edison, also a large owner of land, established a charcoal
riirnaee and bnilt a sawmill on the river nearly a mile from its nioulli.
uec
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 291
Tlic I'liniiicc was iil'tcrwai'd iHinicd to tlic ground. Yet Toi* two iiicii to
thus show tlicir faith in tiie liiud i'ouudiuy of a city at the nioiilh of ilio
Jihicic Jiivcr held tiie lo(;aiity in public vic^w, and wiutu lh<; Lake; Slion;
& Tuscarawas VaUcy Railroad iiualiy cauic in 1H72, such faith hecainc a
Ijj'of^ix'ssivo realization.
Village Chaktkueu as Luiuin
At a regular meeting of the Lorain County eoniniissioners, late in
January, IST-i, that body unanimously granted to Black River a charter
of incorporation under the name of Charleston, but the authorities at
Washington refused to give the town a postotlice with that name, which
liad aireaily l)een granted elsewhere in tlie state. At the request of
titi/eus J^orain was therefore substituted, ami under that name it
received its charter.
The first election of the reincorporated village was held on April 6,
1874, with the following choice: Conrad Reid, mayor; p]. Gregg,
treasurer; II. A. Fisher, clerk; E. C. Kiiniey, civil engineer; Quart us
(iillmoi'e, nuirshal; R. J. Cowley, street commissioner; E. Gillmore,
Thomas (iawn, E. T. Peck, John Stang, James Porter and F. AY. Edison,
eouneilmen; Drs. R. 0. Rockwood and A. Beatty, James Connelly, E.
Swartwood, AVilliam Cunningham and Beaver Brown, l)oard of health.
FiusT School and Police Dei-artment
The yeai- after tiie village was reincoi'porated under the name of
Lorain, the old wooden building afterwai-d used as a fire station for
No. 1 was replaced by a four-room brick structure, wiiich is now the
middle ])ortion of the Washington sehoolhouse. Then, it was considered
imposing and an evidence of civic enterprise and digiiity. The school
and the local system was also under the first superintendent.
The peace and dignity of the village was further per.sonified in
Lance Bridge, who had been tender at the lighthouse for several years
and when the corporation was created was appointed marshal. One
who knew of those times as.serts "There wasn't much for a mar.shal to
do. Nor would the duties of lighthouse tender consume all of tlie time
of an active man like Bridge. His services in other than purely official
directions were cheerfully volunteered and gratefully received. When
necessity demanded, the marshal dire(de(l funerals. At the. laundiings
of file wooden .sidling vessels in the shipyards that dotted the river and
lake banks, his two-fold representation of the majesty of the government
of the United States and of tlie government of the village of Charleston
HOTi-1
2i)2 lllSTOJiY OF J.UKAJN COUxXTY
threw ail agrceahle ylaiaour over liis nionieiitary authority of master of
(;ereiiionies. lie was a versatile man, was Lorain's lirst police depart-
ment."
JNCICiaSK Ol' PolMJLATKJN
liy J 880 the population of Lorain liad reached 1,51)5 and three years
afterward, when direct railroad connection with the southeastern coal
fields was secured through the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling line, her
expansion became really noteworthy among the growing ports of the
Great Lakes. In 1890 the population of Lorain was •i,863, an increase
of 300 per cent ; in 1900, it was 16,028, and in 1910, 28,883. The estimate
for 1916 was 33,000.
Incoki'ouation as a City
As Lorain dates her revival and awakening from the time "when
the railroad came" in 1872, so her people consider tliat the really modern
epoch of her development originated witii the planting of the great
Johnson steel mill on her site in 1894. That was the leader of a nohle
procession of industries. In that year the local government also became
a municipality, the first election, in tiie spring of 1894, resulting as
follows: ^layor, George Wickens; clerk, J. 15. Chapman; treasurer,
John Stang; city solicitor, C. G. Washburn; city engineer, L. A. Fauver;
marshals, Ciiarles Doll and G. J.' Braman.
Councilmen — First Ward, E. M. Pierce and F. W. Pierce ; Second
Ward, C. E. llagernum and II. Griffiths; Third Ward, William Mc-
Allister and James Reid; Fourth Ward, Frank Snow and E. A. Ault.
Conserving Physical and Intellectual Health
Lorain's remarkable expansion of population was attended with the
development of measures and institutions tlesigned to i)rotect the public
health and furnish the pi'ovisions for popular education demanded by
all iiiU'lligeiit communities. The churches and societies developed with
the schools and llie sanitary systems, but tiiey were in the domain of
private activities and have a i)lace of their own in this history.
The Fir/ruATio.Nf Plant
TIk! main considerations foi- conserving the public health are the
pi'opcr disposition ol' the sewage and an ade(|uate and pui-e su|)|)ly of
HISTORY OK I.OKAIN COUNTY 293
watfi". liotli oi' tlifst; liOi'aiii now enjoys, liiit did not ol)tiiiii without
careful eonsideration, luird work and ^'reat expense. The filtration
l)lant, wliieh is the ^'eni of the Kyst<Mii, t,Mves Lorain as healthful a water
supply as can be i'ound anywlua-o.
"Tiu! first installation," says Thomas II. Tristram, suporinteiideiit
of filtration and long conneeted with the system, "was luiilt in 1884,
and eonsisted of an intake, pumping station and distribution system.
The method was to pump the water direct to the consumer witliout any
previous treatment or purification.
"This method obtained without any very serious effect on public
health, until the year 1892, when a system of sanitary sewers was con-
structed in Lorain, and these carried practically all of the sewage of
the city into Black River. The effect of this sewage, on the wholesome-
ness of tile water supply is indicated by the fact that the typhoid death
rate for 1893 increased to the unusually high figure of 183 per 1U0,0()0.
A high death rate from this disease prevailed for two or three years
after the sewers were built.
"To remedy this disastrous ami undesirable condition tlie intelligence
and enterprise of our citizenslii]j was exerted to the end, that in the year
1897 a mechanical filtration plant of three million gallons daily capacity
was l)uilt. This plant has the distinction of l)eing the first municipal
filter i)lant in tiie country to lie Imilt ui)on a bacterial guarantee.
"For several years after the installation of the im[)roved equipment,
the city experienced a comparatively low death rate from typhoid until
the latter part of the year 1903 when it beoame necessary to make exten-
sive rei)airs to the filters, and tlie plant was shut down. The typhoid
death rate immediately mounted upward and the rate for that year
reached 51 per 100,000, the highest to that time since the Iniilding of
the plant.
"No more striking proof of the efificiency of filtration in the removal
of pollution in a water supply can be found tlian that presented during
the months of inactivity of the filter plant in the year 1903.
"For a number of years the city had en.joyed a rapid growth in
population and in the year 1905 it was found that the capacity of the
old purification plant was exceeded by the quantity of water pumped,
and, with commendable zeal on the part of pu1)lic officials and citizens
to maintain the standard already attained, plans were drawn for a new
filtration i)]ant of double flie cai)acity of the old one.
"The new plant went info operation April, 1907; and has been in
successful operation until the present time.
"About the same time in wliieh the new plant went into service the
government breakwater at the harbor entertance was being built out to
,rf5lB9ll
tj ,Our..
2!M lIlSTOliV OK l^OHAIN (JOHNTY
the wi'stwanl and tliiTateiie'd to enclose tlie iiitalco pipes through which
the supply was tiien Ijcing drawn.
"Phuis wore immediately made to extend the intake to a point
beyond the breakwater and outside the danger zone.
"This, however, was not accomplished until the year 1912, when, in
the month of April, the plant began receiving water through this new
intake and has so continued to the present time.
"With all of these improvements to the water supply, the typhoid
death rate in Lorain has, with one or two exceptions averaged close to
the so-called 'normal' rate of 20 per 100,000 population. ^luch can yet
be done, however, to reduce this rate, and plans for extensions and
improvements to the filtration system have lieen prepared and submitted
to the State Board of Health."
The Fike Department
AVitli the development of the local waterworks, the protection of
Ijorain against lire has been considered by residents and exi)erts as fully
ade(|uatc. The large industrial plants of South liOraiu also have special
apparatus and sources of water supply, in case of- emergencies. The
fire department of the city compi-ises eight well-organized companies,
with its central station on Fourth Street, all under David K. Ilatt,
chief. Fire hydrants are distributed at convenient points throughout
the city, and are especially easy of access in localities where the property
interests are heaviest and where human life would be most endangered
by a .serious (conflagration.
Tlie i)umps at the water works drive the water through the mains
at a pressure of sixty-five pounds to the inch for ordinary daily service.
In case of fire, at a moment's notice, through an arrangement with the
local telei)hone company, the pressure may be increased to 100 pounds.
The public tests have shown that a good stream can l)e thrown 150 feet
high through a 21/2 inch hose and a 1% nozzle. The fire apparatus is
ui)-to-date, so tliat, taking all into consideration, the people of Loi'ain
are not thrown into a panic at tlie sound of a fire-alarm.
The fire fighters of Lorain connected with the department number
more than 100 men, of whom about a tliird are i)aid. Tt costs about
$40,000 annually to uuiintain the department. Besides two Knott
steam engines and jilenty of hose carts, the e(iuipment includes two
up-to-date motors. The smaller of tiie two is a combination chemical
apparatus and hose carrier; the larger, an aerial ladder truck. Each is
jiropelled by a six-cylinder !)0-hoi-se power gasoline motor. The aei'ial
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 295
ti'uck carries a self-raisiiig ladder, long enough to reach the roof of tlie
liigliest hiiilding in tlu; (tity.
No. 1, or Central Station, on Fourth Street near Washington Aveiiuo,
is an architectural ornament to the city, being constructed of pressed
brick with a tile roof, bungalow style. The interior furnishings are
handsome and the arrangements convenient and sanitary. The two
motors are housed in No. 1, which is in the heart of the city.
No. 7, on Fourteentli Street near Broadway, is the largest fire house
in the county, as No. 1 is considered the most elegant. It is headquarters
for the only all-paid fire company in the city, and has accommodations
for twenty firemen, two pieces of apparatus and six horses.
No. 2 Station, on Broadway between Eighteenth and Nineteentli
streets, like several other houses, is used for apparatus and horses.
In general, Nos. 1, 7 and 2 are designed to protect the business and
resident districts, both down-town and up-town.
E.\iUyY EnucATioNAi. Items
If tile lines are drawn very clo.sely around the subject, the record of
the public schools of Lorain commences with the incorporation of the
village in 1874, but some of the old books in the office of the board
of education furnish a few items of comparative interest, chiefly illustra-
tive of how small were all educational matters in the times when
Charleston had its "deestrict" school as a modest part of the township
system. The first item is recorded August 30, 1862, and shows the semi-
annual tax apportionment for the educational support of the townsliip
to be $896.20.
The total cost of teaching for the township in 1865 was $489.06,
while for the year 1870 it had increased to $1,175.00.
The first adoption of books seems to have been in 1871 and includes,
MeGufFy's readers, Ray's arithmetics and Harvey's grammar.
The first graded school within what is now the City of Lorain, was
organized and housed in the old hose house which stood where our new
modern hose house No. 1 now stands. It consisted of a two-room school
and was the only school building within the present limits of the city
until 1875, when the new 1)rick school, now the middle portion of the
old Washington Street building, consisting of four rooms, wa.s completed
and occupied.
Lorain's First Union School
The initial steps which led to the erection of the Lorain Union School
wore taken at a special election held IMay l]0, 1S74, when if was unan-
■'<^i-'M r.i'.'li
'llMlf
296 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
iiiiously voted to bond tlie village in the sum of $14,000, to be used as
follows: Two thousand dollars for the purehase of a site, $10,000 for
the building and $2,000 for niaintenanee of the two schools witiiin the
district. Stanley Uriftin, the contractor, completed the building during
the following year, at a cost of $15,000.
lienjamiu F. Bellows was accorded the honor of being the first super-
intendent of schools. With one assistant, j\Iiss Kirkbridge, he con-
.stituted the entire teaching force. The following year .Aliss Hannah E.
Burrett was made the third member of the faculty. Her name will ever
be a synonym for faithful, efficient service and devotion to the interest
to those to whom for thirty-seven years she so unselti.shly gave the best
years of her life.
From 1875 to 1877 Miss Ilettie Ayres was superintendent and teacher
of upper grades.
Special School Elections
A second bond election was held in June, 1882, asking for $8,000,
for the purpose of erecting three frame schools, one to be located east
of the river, one on the Washington Street grounds and one in the
Jiraman addition at the south end of the city. The bond issue was lost
by a vote of G3 to 7. Tlie next meeting night the board asked tlie people
to bond the village for $4,500, to erect two buildings, out to be located
east of the river and one at the south end. This election was held early
in July and carried by a vote of 46 to 4.
In JMay, 1883, the village carried a bond issue for $5,500, to build the
south wing of the Washington Street building, liy a vote of 3'J to 5.
The.se four rooms co.st, completed, $5,030.
Superintendents and Clerks
From 1877 to 1888, with the exception of one year, 1881-82, when
Mr. J. A. Wilson was in charge, Mr. J. R. Rogers was the capable head
of the system. It was during the first years of his administration that
the schools were thoroughly organized, a definite course of study pro-
vided, a high school organized and ecpiipped and the schools put upon a
workable Inisincss basis.
E. E. Raymond was superintemlent of schools from 1888 to 1890,
and was succeeded by II. D. Ward, who served until 1905. During that
period, from 1887 to 1899, Miss E. N. IMcConnell was ])rincipal of the
High School and is honored for her splendid work by all those who
have also 1)een idiiiitilied with the development of the public system.
HISTORY OV LOKAIN COUNTY 297
1). J. liooiic, tlu! present superiiiteiicleiit, was sul)seqiiently principiil.
A. ('. 10l(li'(!(ltj;i' .siice(;e(le(l Mr. Ward as siii)eriiiteii(leiit in TJO.'j, and was
i'ollowi'd liy Mr. I'loone in S('i)t(;nd)er, llilT).
Tlic clci'ks of tlie board of education have l)een as follows: lO. Oill-
morc, 18(i2-72; J. C. McDowell, 1873; Otto Hraiin, 1871-75; K. Gillmore,
1876-79; E. C. Kinney, 1880; F. J. King, 1881-82,; Otto Braun, 1883-88;
day Cobb, 1889-99; E. E. Hopkins, 190U-()7; E. Briiell since September
1, 1907.
Tile Lorain Board of Education (1916): Dr. Frank Young, presi-
dent; H. P. Nielsen, vice president; Mrs. Eva E. Hills, R. J. Aspin and
"W. H. Williams, other members.
Statistics
The statistics considered most germane to indicate the growth of the
public school system in any community are those which deal with the
progressive enrolment and increase in school property. ]\Iany educators
consider such illustrations rather crude and materialistic, and would*
rather gauge such progress by actual advance in methods of instruction
and appliances to carry out approved courses of study. But, as a. rule;,
the increase in the value of school projjerty indicates, in progressive
eomnumities, like Lorain, an expansion of up-to-date facilities. It nuiy
be added that the problem in Lorain is similar to that with which
the Nciiool autiiorities of Clary, liuliana, have wrestled, as nuiny of the
pupils are of foreign blood and the ehildi-en of those connected witii tin;
gx-eat industries of the city. It is worthy of note tliat both tlie schools
and the Public Library make special efforts to educate and improve this
element, in whatever expansion is undertaken.
School. Population
When the old building afterward known as Fire Station Xo. 1 on
Fourth Street was first occupied as a school in 1871, three years before
the ineori)oration of the village, seventy-five scholars wei'e crowded into
its two little rooms.
The population of .school age in the township, recorded in 1870,
nund)ered 292.
h'ifleen yeai's later the enumeration of children of school age in the
village alone was 885, and tlu^ following year (1886) it had increased to
l,0:i;!. In 1SS7 the actual enrolment in tile elementary grades was 602,
and in the high school, -10. I'^roni that year until 1894, there was a
slow increase in the enrolment, the (igures I'or the lader year being 907
."4
298 iri.STORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Hov the elementary pupils and 77 for those attending high school.
With the founding of the steel works during 1894 and the establishment
of other large industries during the following decade, including the
building of steel ships in 1898, the population of Lorain nearly doubled,
witli the natural effect of pushing forward the eni'olment in a cor-
responding ratio. From 1897 to 1902, the period of greatest industrial
expansion, the enrolment in the Lorain city schools increased from 1,850
to 2,646. In 1897 the enrolment in the elementary schools was 1,745,
and in the high school, 105 ; while in 1902 it was, respectively, 2,460
and 186. In 1913, the elementary schools enrolled 4,072 pupils and the
high school, 462, and two years later, as we have seen, the figures had
increased to 4,246 and 523.
By the early '90s, the value of school property within the city limits
was less than .'t;30,000 ; in 1897, it was $89,000, and in 1902 had increased
to $186,700. Ten years later it was about $250,000 and at the present
time (January, 1916), according to the estimates of the board of educa-
tion, about $750,000.
Following is the enrolment in the public schools, witii names of
principals:
Scuoor^s Enrolment Pi{incm'al.s
High School 523 P. C. Bunn.
Fairhome 391 Jane Lindsay.
Charleston 471 Raymond F. Sullivan.
Brownell 280 Lilian Reynolds.
Harrison 261 Georgia I\Iead.
Carden Avenue 545 Robt. B. Fai'is.
(iarfield 701 E. S. AValker.
Lincoln 782 A. II. :\Ieese.
Lowell 368 j\I. R. Simpson.
Oakwood Park 447 E. E. Buell.
Total 4,76!)
Present School Buildings
The schools of I^oi-ain furnish a sj)len(lid illustration oi" tlie broad
and I'apid growtli of tin; city in all the fields oC social and civic life. Its
sch(K)i i)()pulali()n is now aliriost e((ual to llie total po|)ulation of llie city
in 1890. According to the figures furnished the writer late in tiie fall
of 1915 the eni'olment in tiie fen city sciiools was 4,769, and more than
150 teachers wwr employc'd in tiie o|)eration of tiie j)ublic system of
instruction.
H:>p
iriSTORY OK I.OIJAIN (JOIINTY
20!)
Tlu; i)iil.lic. scliool l.iiildiii^'s now occupied, willi tlic (lutes of tlifU-
ureclion, are:
Ganlcii Avenue, 1891 aiul 18!i5.
" J.owcll, Kast Thirty-first Street, 1895 and i:)12.
Charleston, Sixtli Street, 18!)'}. •
Faii'liOMie, Garden Avenue, ]'M)2-'i.
Garfield, Hamilton Avenue, 1902-:].
Brownell, 1904.
Harrison, Hamilton Avenue, 1904.
Lineoln, Vine Avenue, 1904 and 1912.
Garfield Annex, We.st Thirty-first Street, 1909.
.[iliil
Lorain High School
High sehool, AVasliington Avenue and Ninth Street. The magnificent
new building, dedicated in January, 1916, was completed after four
years of construction at a cost of .+250,000. it is thive .stories in height
and cla.ssic and impressive in its style of architecture. Besides thirty
regular cla.ss rooms, its interior accommodations include two large study
lialls, library, room for the Board of Education, superintendent's and
principal's offices, complete outlay for inanual training and domestic
science, gymnasium, auditorium witii about 1,150 sealing (•ai)acity, and
tearhei's' rest and hxtker rooms. Wor'k on this line building was com-
meneed in 1911 and the south wing was comj)leled the following year,
the central portion and the north wing having been but recently entirely
finislied.
Lincoln Annex, Kast Tliirty-lirst Slivet, 1915.
""!V
300 IIFSTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
The Lorain Prer Pubeic Library
TIk! Lorain Free I'lihlic Liljiary, as it is known orficiully, is a strong
(■(lueational force in close and elil'octivu cooperation witli tlie i)ul)lic scliool
system, altliough an independent institution. It is but fifteen years old
— Iiaving been, for most of tbat period, a Carnegie Library — and,
althou|:;h tlius young, lias given a line account of itself. The initial
movement was largely the result of the local Sisterhood, that organiza-
tion of philantliropie and progressive women which has done so much
of real good to Lorain.
Miss Elizabeth K. Steele, who has been librarian since Septeml)er,
1910, furnisiies tiie facts' incorporated in tiie following sketch. On the
IDth of August, ]!)0;5, the corner-stone of Ihe Lorain Public Library
was laid and the building was opened in ]\Iay of tiie following year.
This was the happy culmination of tlie efforts of some of the public-
spirited men and women of Lorain who for four years had worked
unweariedly toward this result. The need of a public library liad been
felt for years and several efforts had been made toward the estalilisli-
nient of a library of some sort, but in 1900 at a meeting of the Sister-
hood, the project was formally launched, and the oi'ganizalion of a
library board effected. This fii-st board was eomi)0.sed of ]\lrs. E. M.
Pierce, chairman; Mrs. Eva Hills, secretary and treasurer; ]\Irs. AV. R.
Comings, Mrs. F. D. Ward, Mrs. F. W. Mcllvaine, ]\Irs. A. E. Thomp.son,
Mrs. IMcKee, Mrs. J. A. Graham, jMis. S. Klein and IMrs. C. B. Hopkins.
Later, the board joined forces witii tlie Reading Room Boai'tl, an
organization of men under who.se auspices a reading room was main-
tained through private subscriptions, in a one-room buiUling just olV
Broadway. Entertainments were given to raise money; book showers
wei'e lield ; the W. C. T. U. and the Wimodaughsis coiitriliuted their col-
lections of books, and in October, 1900, tlie library and reading room
was formally opened with less than 500 books upon the shelves. In
Ajiril, PlOl, the two boards united and were duly iiicoi'poi'ated as the
Lorain Pul)lic Library Association, with the following officers: E. E.
Hopkins, president ; AV. R. Comings, vice jiresident ; E. C. Loofbourrow,
secretary; Mrs. F. AV. Mcllvaine, treasurer.
'Hie other trustees were E. M. Pierce, ]\Irs. Eva Hills, F. A. Rowley,
A. E. Tiiompson, F. P. Bins, Oeoi-ge Wickens.
They (irst secured from Hk; Board of I'ldiication tiie tax levy ])ro-
vided liy law for the siii)i)ort of libraries, and tlie following year re-
ceived a tax of IMOtli of a mill amounting to ^1,:'()0. Thereupon they
applied to Andrew Cai'iiegie for a donation for a building. Tlie city
cdiiiicil granted the tax (which is usiinlly made a coiKlitioii liv Mr.
OO^J
'-■r
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 301
Carin'giuj ol' 10 [kt cent oL' the value ol tlie buildiuj^ for its support,
and a site in one of the city parks. J\Ir. Carnegie signilied his willinj,^-
ness to ^nve a $30,000 building to Lorain; contracts were let and the
building was dedicated in May, 1!)04.
The building, situated in Strcalor Park is one of tlie most attractive
librai'ies in the State of Ohio; is well lighted and ventilated and has
ample s])ace to acconunodate many thousands of volumes. From its very
beginning, the highest standanls have been maintained in organiza-
tion and in administration, and the ideal of the Lorain Public Library
has always been the greatest service and the widest usefulness. At the
time of its opening, there were on the shelves, about 2,000 volumes, six
newspapers, eigiitceii weekly and twenty-five monthly magazines. fSince
then the story of the Lorain Public Library has been one of steady but
of very slow growth in the size of the collection.
On January 1, 1<J13, there were 8,712 volumes in the library which,
by December 31, 1914, had increased to 9,768. According to the biennial
report issued by the librarian for the two years ending with that date,
the circulation of ])ooks for 1914 reached a total of 64,716. The figures
inilieated a marked increase over the previous year and the result was
largely attributed to the shutting down oT so many mills, the enforced
iilleness of so many men and the conseiiuent increase in the number of
tlio.se who patronized the lil)rai-y. Along this line, the following para-
graph is suggestive: "This winter the librarian asked the heads of
several deinirtments in our largest industrial plants to send us lists of
books which, in their judgment, would be helpful to the men in tlicir
ami similar departments. All replied, and from these list.s, compared
with what we had and what we had calls for, a list of mechanical books
was purchased. They were received the last day of the year, but in the
short time we have had them, there has been considerable interest shown
in their receipt and numerous calls for them. A printed list has been
prepared for distribution among the men intei'ested in the industrial
trades and it is hoped it may serve to bring tiie library more dii'cctly
to their attention and so be the means of greater usefulness."
The branch library at South Lorain is specially designed to accom-
modate the readers, both old and young, of the i'oivign element and
the management has purchased a number of books in foreign languages,
especially in Polish, Hungarian and German.
Special classes of ])atrons mentioned in the rc|)ort are high school
students, members of literary clubs and those connected with cimrch and
missionary .societies. The handsome club room of the library is used
by such organizations as the Soiusis Clul), Jlinisters' Association, l.orain.
Fcderalion and Slali- IJoard of Health.
-Mil
302
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
C. 10. Diiiiicls was scciT'tiipy of lli(^ old library boai'd for some yoars
ami j)roiiiiiK'iit in tlu; early days of tlio enterprise until lie left llio
city, hut Ww. lirst librarian of tin; ('onsolidali'd Assoeiation of 1!)01 was
iMiss Mai-garet Deniing, who icsi^ned in Deeemher, ]ii()4, about seven
jnonths after the dedication of the new Carnegie Building. She was
succeeded by Miss May Chapman, who also resigned in February, 1907.
]\Iiss Frances Root then served until the fall of 1910, since which j\Iiss
Elizabeth K. Steele has held the position.
The Postoppice
The Lorain Postoffice, completed in 1914, is a fine building on the
northeast corner of Broadway and Ninth Street. The first office was
Lorain Postoffice
on Fifth Street, and after that was burned temporary quarters were
occupied for a time in a store on Broadway, noi-th of Sixth Street. In
190G another move was made to the building on Si.xlh, half a block
west of Broadway, and in February, 1910, Congress appropriated
$150,000 for a suitable postoffice site and structure ; for something be-
iitting the city's standing and progress. In December, 1911, the present
site was j)urchased by the Po.stoffice Department for $42,500, and grouiul
for the new building was broken in April, 191:5, I*ostniaster Ciiai'los
Doll tui'iiing the first shovelful of earth. As completed in the following
year and since occupied, the Lorain Postoffice has a frontage of over
100 feet on Broadway and its Ninth Street facade stretches back
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 303
('if,'lity-t\vo Tcct. Its lacing is ol' Amlici'st Kaiidstoiic and tlu> foiuula-
1i(»n and outer stairway ol" Nortli Carolina j^n'aiiitc. Tin; main cut ranee,
is from Hroadway, witli a rear approaeh and driveway for eiii[)loyei;s.
Tile areliitecture is simple and Orecian, like most Government build-
ings, and notliiiig has been neglected to make the interior arrangements
tasteful, convenient and sanitary.
CHAPTER XVI
COi^IMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LORAIN
The Black River Steamboat Association — Era op Wooden Ship-
Building — The Fishing Industry — Pioneer and Veteran Fisher-
men — Status op the Present Industry — Lorain's First Iron
Furnace — Planing Mill and Stove Works — The Johnson Steel
Mills — First Great Plant Located at Lorain — Ii'ounding op South
Lorain — South Lorain as It Is — First AVork on the Johnson
Holdings — Opening of the Lorain Plant — Operations as the
Lorain Steel Company — The National Tube Comi^any — Other
Leading Industries — Era op Steel Shipbuilding — Early Improve-
ments op River and Harbor — Development op B. & 0. Terminal —
The Harbor op the Present — The Lorain Board op Commerce —
Source op Artipicial Light and Power — Telephone Service — The
Lorain Banks — The City Bank — NationalBank op Commerce —
The Old Bank op Lorain — The Citizens Savings Bank Reorgan-
ized — Cleveland Trust Company, Lorain Branch — The Lorain
Savings & Banking Company — The Central Banking Company —
The Lorain Banking Company — The George Oroszy Banks.
The industrial life of Lorain commenced with the building of wooden
vessels and scows for the lake marine. It continued with great activity,
Avith spells. of depression, until 1873, or the l)eginning of the railroad
era as it aflPected Lorain. As already stated, the General Huntington
of 1819, a sloop, was the first vessel to be turned out of the Black River,
Charleston and Lorain yards.
The Black River Steamboat Association
Tile ])uilding of the hrst steamboats, Bunker Hill and Constellation,
in 1837, induced the formation of the Black River Steaml)oat Associa-
tioiL They were called Black River boats, altliough the controlling
interest in them was owned by parties in Buffalo and Cleveland. The
304
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
305
l)iisiiiens men ol" Jihick River, heliovint,^ that tlieir best interests enlled
iuv llie hiiildiii^' ol" enil't wliicli slioiild he controlhul by (li(;iiiselv(!.s,
or^'uiii/ed tlie assoeiation named, ami in 18I58 eonstructed tlie Kleairi-
boat Lexington. The officers of the first organization were : Daniel T.
Baldwin, presiilent ; liarna ]\Ieeker, viee president; Nahum li. Gates,
secretary and treasurer.
Era of AYooden Siiip-Building
The era of wooden ship-building at the mouth of the Black River,
up to the time of the coming of the railroad and the incorporation of
the Village of Lorain, is so distinct and characteristic of the early
period, that the entire list of vessels constructed there is given:
Name Year
General Huntington 1819
Schooner Ann 1821
Young Amaranth 1825
Nucleus 1827
Sloop William Tell 1828
Schooner President No. 1 182!)
Steamer General (iraeiot 1881
Schooner White Pigeon 18;52
Schooner Globe 1832
Brig John Henzie 18;5:5
Schooner Nancy Dousman IS:]'-]
Brig Indiana 18:J4
Seiiooner Florida 18:U
Schooner Juliette 18;U
Sloop Lorain ] 834
Schooner St. Joseph 18;}5
Schooner Texas 183(i
Schooner Erie 1836
Brig Ramsey Crooks 1836
Brig North Carolina 1834
Steamer Bunker Ilill 1837
Steamer Constellation 1837
Steamer Lexington ]838
Sloop Randolph 1 8.37
Schooner Algoiuiuin 183!)
Schooner Tom Coi-win 1H4()
Schooner iMarioii 11^41
Vi.i. 1 '.{n
Builder
F. Church
F. Church
F. Church
William AVilson
Captain A. Jones
Captain A. Jones
Captain A. Jones
W. and B. B. Jones
Captain A. Jones
W. and B. B. Jones
Captain A. Jones
W. Jones; A. Gillmore
W. and B. B. Jones
W. and B. B. Jones
Ed Gillmore, Jr.
F. N. Noyes
J. Hamblin
F. N. Jones
G. W. Jones
J. Ilamblin
F. N. Jones
A. Gillmon;
F. N. Jones
Captain A. Jones
(i. W. Jones
(!. W. Jones
Captain Thomas Cobb
306 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Name Year Builder
Schooner J're.sidcnt No. 2 1H41 F. N. Jones
Sc'liooner George Watson 1841 0. AV. Jones
Brij,' Rosa 18-41 F. N. Jones
Brig Iloosier 1842 F. N. Jones
Brig Alert 1842 F. N. Jones
Si'hooner Equador 1842 F. N. Jones
Seliooner Aeorn 1842 Captain Thomas Cobb
Schooner Trenton 1843 W. S. Lyons
Schooner Endora 1843 T. Cobb
Schooner Andover 1844 William Jones
Schooner Farmer (rebuilt) 1844 D. Rogers
Seliooner ^Magnolia 1845 W. S. Lyons
Schooner John Erwin 1845 CobJj & Burnell
Schooner Thomas G. Colt 1846 William Jones
Schooner W. A. Adair 1845 T. H. Cobb
Steamer 11. Hudson 1846 Jones & Company
Brig P]merald 1844 Joseph Keating
Brig Concord 1846 W. S. Lyons
Schooner Palestine 1847 J. Keating
Schooner T. L. Ilamer 1847 W. S. Lyons
Schooner Rambler 1847 Benjamin Flint
Schooner Samuel Strong 1847 Captain T. Cobb
Propeller Delaware 1847 Cobb, Burnell & Co.
Propeller Ohio 1848 S. D. Burnell
Schooner Vineennes 1846 ^Y. S. Lyons
Brig Eureka 1847 S. D. Burnell
Schooner Asia 1848 Captain T. Cobb
Brig A. R. Cobb 1841 Captain T. Cobb
Brig ]\Iahoning 1848 AVilliam Jones
Schooner Florence 1848 W. S. Lyons
Propeller Henry Clay (rebuilt) 1851 William Jones
Seliooner T. P. Handy 181!) AVilliam Jones
Schooner Meridian 1848 AVilliam Jones
Schooner Abagail 1848 Lyons & Fox
Bark Buckeye State 1852 ^Ir. Hubbard
Schooner J. Reid 1852 W. S. Lyons
Schooner AVinfield Scott 1852 AVilliam Jones
Schooner ]\Iain 1852 W. S. Lyons
Schooner Hamlet 1852 AVilliam Jones
Schooner IT. C. AVinslow 185-? AVilliam Jones
Schooner AV. F. Allen 185.3 Jones & Co.
HISTORY OV LORAIN COUNTY
Name Year Hiiildor
Sc'liooncT City IHrjiJ D. Kot,'('rs
SehooiKT Cascade 1H5;{ AVilliairi Jonos
Schooner II. E. Mussey 185:5 lienjaiiiin Flint
Schooner AVings of tlie Morning. . . . 1854 Jones & Co.
Schooner Peoria 185-1 A. Gillinore
Propeller Dick Pinto 1854 G. \V. Jones
Schooner G. L. Newman 1855 P. Flint
Scliooner Drake 1855 Jones & Co.
Bark Lemuel Crawford 1855 Jones & Co.
Schooner Kyle Spangler 1850 AVilliam Jones
Scliooner Leader 1856 Lyons & Cilluiore
Scl\ooner W. II. AVillard 185(i diaries Iliniiian
Schooner John Webher 185f) Cluiries 1 liniiian
Scliooner Grace Murray 185G Wiiliain Jones
Schooner L. J. Farweli 1S5G AVilliaiii Jones
Bark David Morris 1857 AVilliaiii Jones
Schooner Return 1855 D. Fox
Schooner Herald 1857 AVilliain Jones
Schooner Freeman 1855 AVilliam Jones
Schooner Ogden 1857 AVilliam Jones
Bark Levi Hawson 18()1 AVilliam Jones
Bark AVilliam Jones 18G2 Jones & Co.
Schooner Alice Curtis 1858 Edwards
Propeller Queen of the Lakes 1855 AVilliam Jones
Brig Audubon 1855 AVilliam Jones
Schooner John Fretter 185:5 Charles Ilininan
Schooner E. F. Allen 1802 A. Gillinore
Bark Franz Sigel 1 8G2 G. AV. Jones
I'ark Orphan Boy 18G2 AVilliam Jones
Conrad Reid 1SG2 II. 1). Root
II. 1). Root lS(i:5 II. 1). Root
IVIinerva 1S0:{ William Jones
AVilliam II. Cliapmaii I8(i5 11. I). Root
Schooner Fosloria 18G5 W. S. Lyons
Pride LSGG II. D. Root
AV. S. Lyons ISGG AV. S. Lyons
l'.iii-h Siiiiiiiicr Cloud ISGI Lester Siiiilii
Srlidoiier Lillie Vox IHGG |), |.\,x
Kate Lyons l.SGG William -loiies
Bark 1'. S. .Marsh 18(17 G. W. Jones
S<-li(i()iier II. ( '. Post (i-ebiiill) l.SGi; Thomas Wilson
'Ml
308
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUxXTY
Name Year Builder
General Q. A. Gillmore 1867 'J'hoina.s Wilson
II. 0. Cleveland 1H67 William Jones
Clou^'li 1867 1). Fox
Vernie Blake 18G7 II. D. Root
Tliomas AVilson 1868 Thomas Wilson
Brig E. Cohen 1867 II. D. Root
Tliomas Gawn 1872 John Snuires
l^arge Sarah E. Sheldon 1872 Qnelos & Peck
Mjiry Groh 187:5 11. D. Root
Steamer Charles Ilickox 187;J 11. D. Root
Steam liarge Egyptian 1873 Quelos & Peek
Schooner Our Son 1875 II. Kelley
Schooner Sumatra 1873 Quelos & Peek
Schooner Three Brothers 1873 II. D. Root
About forty scows were also ))uilt during the period from 1847 to
1870. Among the builders engaged in that line of construction were
D. Dayton, S. F. Drake, William Jones, 11. D. Root, L. Smith, S. W.
IJuck, William Curtiss, A. Gillmore, S. Root and S. Fields.
The Fishing Industrv
Shortly before "the railroad came," there arose the most important
early industry of Lorain, after the building of wooden vessels. The
first historical records of the French mi.ssionaries and English travelers
pronounced the mouth of the Black River as among the most pro-
ductive fishing grounds along the .shores of the Great Lakes. The waters
of Lake Erie off Lorain have been especially noted for their perch, pike,
herring, pickerel, white-fish and lake trout. In other words, all the
characteristic fish of the Great Lakes have swarmed around the harbor
of Lorain. Three quarters of a centur}-- before the locality was to
become famous as a wooden shipbuilding industry, Black River boasted
of a considerable Meet of fishing sloops, whose aggregate annual catch
ran up into the thousands of pounds.
The twin-industries of sliip-building and fishing went on apaci?, and
the "hauls" were famous even with the crude boats and appliances
which were brought into service. It was not until the late '60s and the
ciirly '70s that tlie fishing reached the dignity of an industry of really
commercial importance. To John Gawn, drag-seine (isherman with an
establishment in the woods on the east side of the river, is accredited
the distinction of having founded the present industry. Other fisher-
men inspired by the success of the pioneer (iawn, followed his example.
/;roTMH
H0-"
IIISTOKY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 309
Al)oiit 1889 tlu-n^ was fotiiulcil tlic first ])ar1iicrslii|) of fislicniu'ii to
opcralc I'roin Ijoniiii — IIk; Kollx; IJi'ollicrs and Ifaiiiicy ( Joiiipaiiy. A
short, tiiric lalcr u second coinijaiiy was (jr^anizcd hy '1'. \V. Srnilli. 'I'lic
KoIIh! lii'otlici's soon dro|)i)ed out of llic (irst i)arlnci\slii[) and tlic remain-
ing interests in tlie original concern formed tiic nucleus of tlie Jianney
Fish Company, the largest concern of its kind on fresh water. The
J. W. Smith concern was al)sorhed soon after its organization hy tlie A.
Booth Company. Lorain's third large fishing concern, tlie liegcr &
Werner Company, was formed ahout 11)01. There iiave always heen
smaller operators, generally called '"independents" to distingnish them
from such large combinations as the Ranney and Booth Companies.
"I\Iany improvements in fishing equipment have heen made since
the days of John Gawn" says a local writer. "His old drag seine — the
net of Biblical fi.shermen — became obsolete when the resources of the
larger operators were turned toward the increasing of efficiency. After
the drag seine came the pound net, a line of woven cord suspendetl on
poles driven into the lake bottom stretched in a straight line and ending
in a circular 'pocket.' Fish, following the long, straight leader, would
enter the pocket and bewildered by the circular wall of net, would be
unable to find again the opening by which they had entered.
"Last of all in the evolution of improvement in fish-catching equip-
ment came the gill net, its meshes cunningly designed to slip over the
head of a fish and tighten ju.st back of the gills.
"The fishing sloop was superseded years ago by the self-propelled
fishing cx'aft, using steam and later gasoline as motive power,
"Steel is replacing wood in the construction of the larger fishing
vessels. One of the local companies' fleets includes six steel tugs, sturdy
and fast and equipped with the largest devices for the 'lifting' of nets
and the storage of fish on the run to the harbor from the fishing grounds.
Picturesque, Even if Commercialized
"Commercialized to the highest degree, fishing still has the glamor
of picturesqueness and romance. Fishermen are still the most daring
of mariners. Long before the monster steel freighters dare venture from
the harbors in the spring, the rakish little fishing tugs poke their noses
out beyond protecting piers, and, skirting the iierilous ice fields, .skurry
away for the (isiiing grounds. 'Set your nets early,' is flie word, 'you
can always gel back in — .somehow.'
"Day after day Ihrouglioul the fishing season, on calm days when a
run into tlie lake is tlu' work of a 'rockiiig-chair' s.iilor, and on stormy
days, wlicn a ti'ip to the nels means plunging for mih's through the seas
310
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
that keep tlie 'l)ig- fellows' at tlicir falilcs 'inside,' tlio lisliinjy eraft ply
in ami out. Before the daylight they are away, si)eeding for the nets
miles out into the open lake. At dark they return, laden to the gun-
wales with their eargoes of shimmering silver."
Pioneer and Veteran Fishermen
"In the memory of some of the oldest residents of our city," says
a writer in a late loeal publication, "is the picture of Lorain's first lish-
erinan, Daniel Gawn, father of the late Thomas Gawn. Fifty years ago,
at the mouth of Black River, with the use of a seine, IMr. Gawn began
the first net-fishing out of Lorain, or Charleston, as it was then called.
Life Saving Station at Lorain
He di-sposed of his product to people coming from the towns toward the
south who journeyed hither in wagons along the then-popular plank
road. Barney Bark, who, though in feeble health, is still a resident of
our city (written in the spring of 1915), was in the employ of i\Ir. Gawn
in this enterprise. Mr. Gawn was succeeded by Adam Ilolstein and
Adam Clause, who used a pound-net in their industry. Succeeding
them was Charles F. Friend. About this time the fishing l)usiness
began to be popular, and soon there were eight little beach fisheries
between Jjorain and Vei'niillion.
Two Vkti;ran " IIoi.d-Ovkks"
"The moneyed interests have long since al)sorbe(l these lilth; fisher-
ies, but have wisely retained the services of many of the experienced
lU:
Wi ofll '
/fOim-^ui* orfJ q*,1>I f:;l'l
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY 311
fisiierinen. Captain Charles Friend is in point of active service among
tile oldest fisliermon on Lake Erie. He has been engaged in tiie fishing
husiness eoiitinuoiisly for fifty yeai's, and cacli day finds him at the
wheel of the tiig liirmiiigliaiii, eoiidneling vvilh cant and enicien(;y th(!
lak(! management of tlie iJooth Fisheries Company. Corneliu.s Meyers,
a veteran of the Civil war, is another pioneer fisherman, having spent
forty-eight years in the industry — sixteen years at Huron and thirty-
two, at Lorain. He is connected with the Booth Fisheries Company as
watchman."
Status op the Present Industry
After descri])ing the modern methods of fishing, as now in vogue at
Lorain, the writer concludes with matters more specific, thus: "The
United States Government fosters with great care the fishing industry.
Each year, in the late autumn, men called spawn takers from the
Government Fish Hatchery at Put-in-Bay go out on the fish tugs and
strip the fish of their eggs, sending them to the hatchery. There they
are hatched and, at the proper time, returned to the lake to grow into
fish large enough to he taken by hook and line for the pleasure and
conifort of mankind.
"Each state regulates its fishing. Laws provide when this may be
done, how many weeks are allowed for net fishing and, in fact, the
industry is surrounded l)y conditions and safeguards that foster it so
that the finny trii)e shall not become extinct. Each person or firm
operating nets in Ohio waters must procure a license by the payment
of a prescribed sum to the Ohio Fish and Game Commission, and the
revenue thus accruing is used for the maintenance of hatcheries for
the conservation of fish.
"Lorain has three firms in tiie fishing business: The Booth Fish-
eries Company, the Ranney Fish Company and the Reger and Werner
Fish Company. Together they operate about 113 pound and trap nets
and from 4 to 37 tugs. Approximately, four hundred men are given
employment, the number varying with the catch. Statistics of the catch
for one year can hardly be used as a basis for determining the produc-
tion for the next year, since no two seasons show up alike. There is
really no means of gauging this, until it is visii)le."
Lorain's First Iron Furnace
Although the stalwart line of industries which have established
Lorain as a leading manufacturing center of the Lakes Region is oidv
312 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
a little over twoiity years of age, llie liistorie pioneer of them all
appeared in the loeal tield the year before tlu; opeiiiiijjj of the Civil war.
Ill IS(Jl), also twelve years l)ei'ore the eoiiiiiii,' of the railroad, a little
iron fiiniaee was perched on the west hank of tiie Black River. It was
located at wliat is now the foot of Eightli Street, and its property
stretched along the river front for a thousand feet, including the future
site, of the Ranney Fish Company. S. 0. Edison, brother of F. W.
Edison, of Lorain, who resided on Second Street, and Dr. I'hilo Tilden
were partners in the founding of the furnace. Later the concern was
known as S. 0. Edison & Company. William McKinley, father of the
President, was furnace-man, or superintendent, and also acted as book-
keeper.
The plant prospered until 1871 when it was burned to the ground.
It was never rebuilt on that site, although a similar furnace was located
hy ]\lr. Edison at Pigeon River, Saginaw Pay, ]\Iieliigan. This later
project was abandoned within a short time, and tlie founder retired
from active business, going to East Orange, New Jersey.
The capacity of Lorain's first blast furnace was thirty tons per
day. Charcoal was used as fuel. An interesting feature is that the
pig-iron i)roduced from the little plant sold at one time for $87.50 per
ton, the higliest price for that product ever obtained locally.
When asked one day if the plant made money, .Mr. Edison replied:
"In 18G5, we cleared .$65,000."
Planing Mill and Stove Works
The coming of the Lake Shore & Tuscarawas Valley Railroad to
Lorain was soon followed by the estaiblislnnent of new industries.
Among these were the planing mills of Brown Brothers & Company and
E. Slaight & Sons, botli erected in 1873, and the formation of the Lorain
Stove Company, organized by leading citizens of Lorain, two manu-
facturers of stoves in Troy, New York. Buildings were erected and
the plant commenced operations, but that old business story was
repeated — the friction between "foreign" and local interests. The New
York parties were voted out of office, the property was sold and suhse-
(juently leased to the Co-operative Stove Company of Cleveland, by
wliich it was operated for some time with C. II. Baldwin as resident
manager.
The Joiin.'^)X Steel ^Mills
It was twenty years after these small eonecrns made so futile an
effort to live tliat the Johnson steel mills located at Lorain and made
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 313
an iiulustrial iiiaimiioth of what had before been little more than a
Jjij^niiy. It was the real coiniueiicenient of the Steel City of tiio Lakes,
whieli tile National Tube Company, controlled by tlie United Steel
(.'oritoration, lias been most instrumental in founding. That great
imiustry has created South Lorain, and it is no exaggeration to say that
fully one-half the population of the entire city dej^end entirely, or par-
tially, upon its operations for their livelihood.
In 1893, when the little Village of Lorain was on the point of becom-
ing a city, its industries comprised a few shipyards for building wooden
vessels, a lumber mill and an antiquated lime-kiln. But five years before
there had been organized at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, by Thomas L.
Johnson, street railway and manufacturing capitalist, what was known
as the Johnson Steel Street Rail Company. Street rails for traction
lines were turned out of its plant, and some time after it was in opera-
tion the controlling corporation became generally known as the JohnsoJi
Company.
Gradually the management of the steel plant came to realize that
the iiiills were too far away from the supply of raw materials and that
the only way to save the enterprise was to transfer the industry to
some locality where those entering into the manufacture of steel — ore,
coal, coke and limestone — could be most cheaply brought together. Tliat
decision was reached in 1893, and early in 189-1 the eastern capitalists
interested in the Johnson plant visited Cleveland, Painesville, Fairport
and Lorain, in their explorations for a suitable site for the new steel
mills.
First Great Plant Located at Lorain
The final decision, made in IMarch, 1894, was for Lorain, and in the
following month occurred its first municipal election. The great steel
mills and tlie city were twin-births. Tiie proposal of the Johnson Com-
pany was that its rail mills would be moved to Lorain, provided the
town .should take upon itself the responsibility of widening and sti-aight-
ening the Black River channel. The individuals then in control of the
company were Tom L. Johnson, tlie heaviest stockholder in the mills;
A. J. ]\Ioxham, president, and Mux ^l. Supi)es, general manager. One
of the first measures which went through tlie new city council in April
was to eagerly accede to this proviso and agree to improve the river as
suggested.
The new John.son Company was incorporated with a capital of
ifia.noO.OOO by Tom L. Jolinson, A. J. ^Mo.xliam, Andrew S(|uire, James
Paniialee and II. S. Davics. 'I'liiiigs began 1o hai)pcn in the young
Ml a:-;
ll.n-j
>[!..•»
314 HISTORY OF LORAhV COUNTY
city. Vacant lots on Broadway, long overgrown with weeds, became
valiial)le "real estate," and tlie talk of steel mills and harbor improve-
iiiciils was ill 1li(! air and evei-ywiiere. Tin; city fatlu-rs dcliiiilely
|)l('(|ij;r(| llie municipality to maintain a navigable eluuuKd in lilack
Kiver as far south as the land iield by the Johnson interests. Late in
May, 189-4, commenced the work of clearing the mill site on the north
bank of the river in what is now South Lorain.
Founding op South Lorain
Even before the Johnson Company decided to locate at Lorain
options had been secured on about 4,000 acres of land. These options
were subsequently closed, the intention being to control, as far as pos-
sible, speculation in land values and prevent any sudden inflation
thereof in place of the steady and permanent increase so neces.sary for
future stability.
The Sheffield Land Company was a sub-division of the Johnson Com-
pany, created for the convenience of transacting its real estate business.
A separate department was devoted to land held for manufacturing
])urposes, inrpiiries regarding suital)le locations for various industries
having become so nuniei'ous as to demand special attention and con-
sideration. Of the 4,000 acres of land controlled by the Johnson Com-
pany, 1,700 were set apart for manufacturing purposes, one-third being
on the north bank of the river, the remaining 1,200 acres comprising a
continuous tract, bounded on two sides liy the river, and on a third by
the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Railroad. The total river frontage
was over six miles, ^'/^ of which was navigable water. Less than 200
aci'cs were comprised in the low land ad.jacent to the river, the larger
part being located on a table land, averaging al)out forty-five feet in
heiglit above the river from which it rises in a precipitous blutf.
As the high land was of very regular contour, sloping slightly toward
the river, it was readily drained of surface water. Tiie soil is rather
tenacious clay, underlaid at a depth of from four to seven feet by a
very compact shale formation .several hundred feet in thickness, offering
the best possible foundation for building and machinery.
About a year after the Johnson Company liad commenced opera-
tion at Lorain, an industrial edition of the Herald reported progress,
and wliat follows may be designated as a continuation of the "Found-
ing of South Lorain:" "With the exception of some 600 acres reserved
by the Johnson Company for present and future uses, the land is held
for disposal, for manufacturing purposes only, to legitimate business
('nleri)rises whi(;li may desire to locale here. About 2.;{00 acres of land
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 315
lyiiiy south ol' Tcutli AveiiiU' arc iivailal)le Tor town siU; purposes, and
u c'Oiisid(,'ral)lu portion of tliis is already laid out. The sul)-ilivision of
this addition to the villar^e of Lorain was inauf^urated upon a hroad-
iniiKh'd and lihei'al basis.
"A tract of den.sely wooded land in the heart of the new town con-
taining over seventy acres, was deeded to Lorain for perpetual use as
a public park. All avenues and streets are made either 80 or 100 feet
in widtli. Tlie lots have a frontage of 50 feet, and vary in deptii from
120 to 200 feet. Flagstone sidewalks, curbing, paving, sewers and
similar betterments are provided for before the original transfer of
I^roperty takes place and are thus assured. Clauses are inserted in the
deeds for l)idding the .sale of intoxicating liquors. This will be omitted,
however, at intervals iji certain portions of the town, as the intention is
not to force temperance upon the people, I)ut to attempt so far as pos-
sible to govern the number and location of saloons.
"Nearly three miles of sewer has been laid, emptying temporarily
into the Jilack river, but with provision for ultimate; connection with
the general sewer .system of tiie town of Lorain, unless some method of
sewage disposal may prove more desirable. Connection has been made,
at considerable expense, with the water system of Lorain, insuring the
advantages of a [»ure and abundant water supply from tlie lake.
"The main liusiness street, on which all the buildings must be of
brick, is already paved with fire brick for a distance of half a mile.
Several hundred houses are completed and occupied. IMost of these will
be owned liy the occupants and have been constructed with a view to
offering an attractive home to the workingman. The style of architec-
ture is sufticiently varied to present a pleasing effect far ditferent from
that usually obtained in manufacturing settlements.
"Peculiar advantages in the way of cheap material exist at Lorain
for those desiring to build. Stone of the finest quality is quarried near
at hand and is cheap and plentiful for the foundation purposes. Shale
brick is a local product, and lumber is brought from the forests of I\Iichi-
gan by water at a minimum cost for transportation.
"The electric street railway connecting Lorain with the county
seat, Klyria, passes througii the new town site. AVith a fifteen minute
service over a road-bed equal to that of any trunk line in the country,
a) a si'hcilulc. speed of thirty miles pel* houi', ])i-ompl and frequent eoiii-
inuiiicalioii is olVci-ed with (/'leveland, via the Lake Siiore and Michigan
Soiilhei'ii Railway at Klyria or the Nickel Plate; at Lorain."
.i-K(
,0^
316 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
South Lorain, as It Is
Tlio South Lorain of today, althougli under tlie general municipal
governriiciit of Loi'ain City, is one of tJie striking evidence's of rapid,
Mibstiiiilial and eoinfortahle industrial growtli i)i'es(;nted in several other
sections of the United States. It is chiefly the creation of tiie Slieflield
Land Company, in turn the creature of tiie National Tube Company,
wliieh is a satellite of the Unit(;d Steel Company. South Lorain is Cary,
Indiana, on a minor scale, but very large at that.
Tile streets are from 80 to 100 feet wide, and are graded, curbed and
macadamized. Stone sidewalks are laid and water and sewerage are
fully provided. Tenth Avenue and Pearl Street are the business
thoroughfares, and are paved witli brick in addition to other iini)rove-
ments, and a nuiidjcr of artistic and important business blocks and stores
contribute a handsome architectural elfect. Large sums were expended
by the Shellicld Land Company in street improvements, and the laying
of water, sewer and gas mains. Such main thoroughfares as ICleventh,
Twelfth, Thirteenth, Pearl and Seneca are well paved with macadam,
and lined with neat and tasteful, and, in some cases, handsome resi-
dences.
South Lorain is also the center of a distinctive moral, intellectual
and religious expansion, in whicli sucli organizations as the Young Glen's
Christian Association, the Public Library management, the Irving Lit-
erary Society, South Lorain Congregational Institute, the Sisterhood,
the ]\Ien's League and the Catliolic Young Men's Club, luive earnestly
and faithfully ])articipated, with the result tiiat residents of tliat section
of the city, whetlier of foreign or Americanized stamp, have fouiul
living conditions jileasant and profitable.
Throughout all this work of development the Sheffield Land Com-
pany was well to the fi'ont. It offered premiuiris for the best-kept gar-
dens, and for many years numerous owners of modest homes vied with
each otiier to make them attractive. Liberal terms were also given
employees of the .steel works and other industries in South Lorain to
enable them to become the owners of comfortable homes convenient to
their woi'k. Five ])er cent of the purchase i)rice is recpiired in cash,
and the l)alance is payalile at the rate of 1 per cent per month, includ-
ing interest at tlie rate of (i per cent. For examide, a hou.se and lot
costing $l,r)()() would re<iuii'e a cash j)ayment of $7;'), and llie ])alanc(i
payable ill. the rale of $1") per mouth. The purchaser has the |)rivilege
of paying as much as he likes in addition to the $15 per month which
will lie applied to his future payments in case anything should happen to
him or his family.
aj<.
IIISTOKV OV LOKAIN COUNTY 317
FiiisT WouK ON THE Johnson IIom)incjs
Jii rliiiK!, lfSl)4, lal)orur.s in tlic employ ol" tlic .Johnson (Jonii)aiiy liroku
groinul lor tliu power-house of the Lorain-Elyria electric line, whieii was
to he owned and operated hy that corporation. South of the site for the
steel mills land was also cleared for the residence section, on land owned
hy the company. Work on the mill-site i)roper was begun in July, and
a monlh thereafter a thousand men were at work on the excavations
and foundations.
Opening of the Lok.mn Pl.vnt
Throughout the winter of 1894-95 the task of moving the steel mill
from Jolmson, Pennsylvania, to Jjorain, Ohio, 200 mikss, progressed
rapidly and smoothly, and hy February the original Lorain phuit was
complete. Within the fence on tlie newly-cleared grounds, were a
Bes.semer converting works, a blooming mill, a rail-i'olling mill with
fiiushing equipment, and a group of mechanical shops.
April 1, ISDf), was a gala day, for it marked the tirst "blow" of
steel in tlie new mills and the official beginning of their oi)cration.
About 1,200 men were employed. Tiie ofti(;ials, on the oi)ening day,
wi're : A. J. Maxham, president; Tom L. Johnson, vice i)resi(lent; Max
M. Su])pes, general manager; I'. M. Boyd, secretary; W. A. Donaldson,
treasurer. The first rail to be turned out of the new mills was rolled
in the month following the official opening.
With its first organization, the Lorain plant had no blast furnaces.
Pig iron, from whi(;h the steel for the rails was made, was imported
from outside furnaces.
Operations as the Lohain Steel Company
For four years the plant operated as the Johnson Company. Then
in 1898 there came a reorganization, changing the name to the Lorain
Steel Company, and expansion of the manufacturing facilities of the
plant began almost simultaneously with its opening. Lnprovements in
steel-making and steel-handling machinery increased the mass of the
output as time went on. JMonth by month the number of employes
momited ui)ward. In 1899 the present blast furnaces were completed,
their installation making necessary the buiUling of docks for the handling
of ore.
The Nationai, Tome (,'ompany
The twentieth century l)rouglit the opening of the last and greatest
epoch in the hisloiy of Lorain as a siccl-making center. Amalgamation
■) -nn'tT
.' loir^ui uliJ lit il;>U(|-
318 HISTORY OF I.OHAIN COUNTY
or interests evolved tlie organization of tlie National Tube Company, of
Ohio, witli William Ji. Seliiller as president.
To the eastward of tlie site of the st('el inills at Lorain were laid the
foundations of the present tube i)huit. (Jonstriietion on tlie tul)e-making
de])artment was coimnenced in l!K);j. The first pipe was made on
Fel)ruary 10, 1905, and the tube mills were completed in the following
year.
In 190!) one of the most important improvements was added in the
open heartli deijartment, bnilt lor the purpose of manufacturing by a
newer process a better grade of steel than is possible Ity the old Hessemer
method.
Mr. Schiller is still president of the National Tube Company, whose
head<iuarters have ])een transferred from Pittsbiirgli to Toledo. IMax
yi. Suppes, who came to Lorain with tiie old Jolmson Company, in 1894,
has been the executive head of the mills ever since.
Other Leading Industries
Outside of the National Tube AVorks, among the largest of the
industrial plants in South Lorain are those of the Thew Automatic
Shovel (.'ompany and the American Shovel and Stamping Company
and the American Steel and Tube Company. They are located on East
Twenty-eighth Street and the Baltimoi-e & Ohio Railroad tracks. They
were established in 1899, and employ several hundred men.
The Thew Automatic Shovel Company manufactures both steam and
electric shovels for ore and fuel docks, blast furnaces and steel works,
mines and ])rickyards, and for general excavating purposes. Tiie Ameri-
can Shovel and Stamping Company and the American Steel and Tube
Company, which ai'e oi)erated under joint management, are devoted
especially to the production of pre.ssed-steel specialties for agricultural
implements and vehicles.
Of the other large industries which have given Lorain so substan-
tial a reputation may be mentioned the National Stove Comi)any, a
branch of the American Stove Comjjany, whicli turns out everything in
the line of stoves, ranges, ovens and heaters; the Lorain Casting Com-
pany, the Lorain iMilling Company, the Hrunk ]\[achine antl Forging
Company and tlie Lorain Crystal Ice Company.
'i'iie National Slove (Company was originally llu; National Vajjor
Slove and Manui'aeliiring (Company, which was incorporated in Cleve-
land in 1889 and its i)lant and bnsiness transiVi'i-c'd to Lorain in 189;i.
Li 1895 a consolidation was efl'eeled with Ihe ]\Ioon Range Company of
Colnmbiis, and subse(|Uen1ly the extended and iiiipr(iv<>(l j)lanl was
?r.
(ilONKUAli \'li:\V OF SolITlI LoHAIN StKEL ]MiLLS
I'.VKT (IF I'hANT OF Na'I'IONAI, 'W'UE ('oMTANY
320 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
talccii over by tlie Natioiuil Stove Company, ii (,'ori)oration witliin the
sysli'in ol" the Aniericaa Stove Company.
Ek.v op Stkel Siiii'building
For fifteen years or more after 1897, when ground was broken for
the great steel shipyards on tlie east l)ank of the Black River, Lorain
was one of the leading centers of the industry in the country; of late
years there has been a marked decrease in tlie output of the yards, caused
largely by general conditions, such as the transfer of much of the iron
and steel manufactures to points further West, and to the local fact
that the metal industries of Lorain have l)een largely diverted into spe-
cial channels and away from the making of tlie material which enters
into the construction of steel ships. Notwithstanding, the present plant
of the American Shii^building Company is one of the best-equipped in
the West, and it is still doing considerable constructive work.
The history of the rise of the great industry is given thus by the
Lorain Times-IIerald : "From 1820 to the early '90 's as nearly as can
be ascertained from the records, no less than 'AOO wooden ships were
built in and near Lorain. In what might be called tlu; second era of
wooden shipbuilding, Henry D. Root, still active at nearly eighty
(written in July, 1913), and only recently retired, was a prominent
figure. His yard on the west side of the river, almost opposite the pres-
ent plant of the American Shipbuilding Company, turned out many
of the larger vessels. The schooner 'Our Son.' l)uilt by ^Mr. Root in
1875 for H. Kelley, was in commission until less than ten years ago.
"Tile '80 's marked tlie passage of tlie ))uildiiig of wooden lake ves-
sels. Tlie steel freighter was coming into its own.
"Early in 1897 there was organized in Cleveland the Cleveland
Shipbuilding Company, with Robert Wallace, a .shipbuilder of experi-
ence, as general manager. The company jjurchased a site of twenty
acres of land on the east bank of Black River, between the Erie avenue
and Nickel Plate bridges.
"On February 10, 1S97, John J. Stang, Sr., now deceased, who was
tlie contractor for the construction of tiie dry-dock, turned the first
shovelful of eartli on the site of the new yards. Beside the dry-dock,
tjvo launching slips were dredged and four construction lierths laid.
"i-'iirly ill bSDS active ojx-i'alioii of the yards was begun with a
force of about 1,L'()0 men. 'j'liomas Briscoe, as superintendent, was in
active charge.
"Tile fir.st ship built was the steamer Sujierior City, coustnieted
for the Zenith Traiisportation Company of Duluth, and launclied on
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 321
April 1:3, 1898. To the populace, and for tliat matter to the sliip-
huikliiif,' inuU'. itself, the Superior City was u wojidci-ful ship. With iiii
ovci'-iiil h'lij^th oi' '150 feet, a beam of 50 f<!('t, and a molded depth of
28 I'eet, slie had a varvyiug eapueity of 7,000 tons.
"Lorain made the Superior City's launching a gala event. Specta-
tors came from miles around and joined a party of distinguished guests
to witness tlie affair. The boat was christened by Mis-s Liez Pierce,
daugliter of E. M. Pierce.
■'Since the Superior City there have l)een turned out of the Lorain
yards a total of 129 boats, with a combined tonnage of over 650,000.
liesitle some of the leviatiian fz'eighters of later days, the Superior City
is dwarfed. In over-all length, the 500 foot, and the 600 foot mark
have beeJi pa.ssed. Contrasted with the 7,000-ton capacity of the fii"st
monster, the Superior City, are the cargoes of over 12,000 tons that
Lorain-built boats have carried from the mines at the upper lakes into
the lower-lake ports.
"A eoneeption of what Lorain has accomplished in ship-building
since 1897 may be gained from an analysis of the list of vessels turned
out here. Of the 129 boats built, six had carrying capacities of 12,000
tons eaeli, tlie largest class of boats on fresh water; 11 had capacities
of 10,000 tons; one had a capacity of between 9,000 and 10,000; two,
between 8,000 and 9,000; 15, between 7,000 and 8,000; 40, between
6,000 and 7,000; eight, between 5,000 and 6,000; 36 were in the class
of 5,000 tons and under. One hundred and nine of the boats turned
out were freighters; two were oil steamers; seven were oil barges; nine
were tugs ; one was a salvage lighter, and one a catamaran built for a
mountain summer resort.
"The masterpiece is the James A. Farrell, flag-ship of the Pittsburg
Steamslii}) Company's fleet. The Farrell was launched on September 28,
1912. For a second time Lorain made a launching a gala event. On
tlie christening stand when the vessel took the water were James A.
Farrell, president of the billion-dollar United States Steel corporation,
for whom the boat was named; William B. Schiller, president of the
National Tube Company; officials of the Pittsburgh Steamship Com-
pany, and other personages of note in the industry and commerce of the
nation.
" i-'or two years after its foundation, the Lorain plant operated
iii(l( |Hii(|eiitly. 'flien, in 1899, the American Siiipbiiilding Comjiany,
with a capitalix.ation of .$15,000,000 came into complete control.
"Until 1!)0() the i>lant operated upon its original site of 20 acres.
A glow in^- demand for more and larger ships nmde expansion necessary,
and a tiiiet of 2)5 acres, to the so\illi of the old plant was a('(]uired.
iilO'l"! 9111
322
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
"In tlie added space was coustnicted a new dry-doek, 747 feet long,
with a widtli oi" 125 feet at the top and a widlli of IG feet over the
keel ])locks. This dock is still the largest on fresh water and among the
half-dozen largest in the world. Later, on the new territory, came a
second punch sliop, 180 by 245 in size, a boiler shop 110 by 120 feet, a
foundry 140 by 200 feet, and last of all a i-einforced eonerete-and-steel
niaehinc shop, 180 by 245 feet in ground dimensions. In the machine
shop is installed one of the largest boring machines in the United States
and the second largest planer in Ohio.
"With tlie new equipment in operation a completed vessel, except
for a few of the minor details of construction can be turned out of the
American Shii'iujildixg Plant at Lorain
Lorain yards. Until recently it has been necessary to bring the boilers,
engines and larger forgings for boats from outside shops."
Thomas Uriscoe, first superintendent of the local yard at the time of
its establishment, was succeeded, at the time of the merger with the
American Shipbuilding Company, by W. W. AVaterson, who resigned
after two years to become superintendent of construction for the Pitts-
burgh Steamshii) Com])any. Fraidc fleCfrey was supei'iutendent fi-om
18!)!) until li)()4, wlien he look charge of the Union Iron Works yard
at San l"'i'aneiseo. I'\ C. lialMarclie succeeded Mr. .It'lVrey and he, in
turn, was followed by tlie former assistant superintendent, A. W. Payton.
Tlie years from lf)00 to 1910 seem to have been the most i)rosperous,
since which th(>rc has been a general decline in liie outi)u1. Tlie increase
in production comiiiciiced willi llic entry of the v\iiiericaii Slii[)biiildiii!.''
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 323
f;oiiij)imy !is tliii owiici- oi" tlio j)laiil. As slatt'd, llu; sU'iiitici- Superior
i'My was tlu; lirst boat coiistriictcd, when the Lorain phiiit. was estab-
lislied l)y the (Cleveland Sliii)hiiildiii(,' Company. It was completed in
the early spring of 18D8, and during that year four other boats were
launclied from the yards. Only thi'ee were turned out in 1899, but in
the following year (the first twelve months under the ownership of the
American Shipl)uilding Company) eight were completed; the same
number for each of the years 19U1, ]'J02 and 1903; four, in 1904; si.x,
in 1905; seven, in 1906; eleven, in 1907; eight, in 1908; twelve, in 1909;
eleven, in 1910, and nine, in 1911. Five boats were launched in 1912,
and not to exceed four, in any year since, although seven are under con-
tract for 191(j. This Ii.st includes tisii tugs, tire tugs, freighters, oil boats,
and pleasure craft and jjai'ges.
E.\RLY Improvements of River .\nd IIaruor
The material improvement of tlie harbor did not commence until
1894, or the year of the founding of the Jolmson steel works and the
incorj)oratioJi of the city. Later, tiie owners of tlie new steel shipyards
eo-operated in the improvement of their own large pro])erties, and the
National Government has added its money and efficiency in the further-
ance of the great work.
Tile initial improvements in preparation of tlie modern expansion,
is described by a local paper issued in 1895, as follows:
"Lorain lias the best natural harbor on the; south shore of Lake
Erie. Others may surpass it in development, but none can equal it in
oiijjoi-tunity. Some may exceed it in ])resent tonnage, but none can
compare in brilliancy of prospects.
"Long years ago, before the hand of man had straightened its course
or deepened its channel, it offered shelter to the largest boats that then
traversed the lakes. The flagship of Commodore Perry might have
entered its winding course and followed up beneath tlie waving bouglis
of primitive oaks for four miles without touching bottom or being
impeded at a single turn. Even forty years ago, had there been
a Vessel drawing 13 feet of water, it might have gone inland nearly, if
not (juite, two miles, without discovering the river liad a bottom. Local
shipmasters yet living can testify that the channel for 1% miles was
then at least U feet deep and 200 feet wide, and that above that point,,
for two miles further, it was 14 feet deep most of the way. A vessel
drawing any amount less than 14 feet inight have gon(! inland the
distance mentioned, and tlieii have winded as easily as on the broad
expanse of tlie laker's bosom.
324 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
"The harbor is wliat it is today chiefly because nature made it so.
True, the lower chaunel has been straightened, the piers extended, the
bottom dredged near the docks, but less than $75,000 has been spent in
general dredging, yet what a change. The modern monsters that plow
the lake may sail in and out and pass three abreast almost anywhere in
the river for S^/o miles of its course. There is now a channel 17 feet
deep, 90 feet wide and much of the way 250 feet wide. This is tlie
result of a single summer's work. There is no point which the largest
vessels can not pass with safety, and a 300-foot boat could easily wind
at the top.
"The city has undertaken the ta.sk of widening, deepening and
straightening this magnificent natural channel until it shall be seven-
teen feet deep for a distance of four miles inland ; until it shall be
four hundred feet wide at the narrowest part and eight hundred feet
some of its way. The city has pledged itself to put in this 400-foot
channel, but the ease with which it can be done and the restriction on
taxation, guard against the work ever becoming a burden. The munici-
pality is pledged never to levy more than one mill of the tax duplicate
for river purposes. This, it is believed, will l)e amply sul^cient, witli
wluit help the Governnient will give, not only to provide the 400-foot
channel for the entire four miles, but to keep it in excellent condition.
"The sea seldom runs so high that ves.sels cannot enter the harljor,
but when it does the bottom of the lake on all sides of the piers affords
the best possible anchorage, where vessels may ride out storms in com-
parative safety. There is another advantage in this harbor seldom
enjoyed elsewhere. When the dredging is once done it is done forever.
]>lack River drains for forty miles inland a .section made up of shale
and clay. Its waters, though dashing over precipice and fre([uently
raging along its upper confined boundaries, brings no silt or sand to
fill the navigal)le chaunel beneatli. The sides and I)ottoms of tiie deeper
channel are equally fortified against abrasion, and tlie lake about tlie
moutli is as free from accumulations of sand as any harbor on the lakes.
Tluis, dredging once done, lasts almost forever. Docks once capable
of receiving siiips, remain so. The expen.se, uncertain in amount l)ut
generally heavy and dreaded, of maintaining tlie channel clean, and of
keeping the docks accessil)le, is lieri' unknown.
"Of this uuignificeiit river frontage, extending four miles on either
si(b'— fnlly eiglit niih'S in ail — less than a niMe and a half is in actual
use. The (yleveland, Lorain & Wlieeling Railroad owns a large arimunt
of valnalih' dock on llie west side near the rivei- mouth. On this have
lieen erected the most iinpi'oved and extensive ore and coal handling
maehiiierv. The faeilities of Hie Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling l>;iail
IIISTOKY OP LORAJN COUNTY 325
are unsurpassed by any one eoneern on tlie soutli shore of Lake Erie.
Tlio Jolmson Company is putting in extensive docks in ttio vicinity oT
their works. These will be Jarge enough to acconiino(hite tiie immense
ore and iron traffic of that big concern. A lew otlier docks are scattered
along the river, but the remaining frontage is available for any indus-
trial enterprise. Cood sites are just as plentiful as ever, and they may
be ol)tained at very reasonable prices. Any substantial business con-
cern can get a site free upon making a satisfactory sliowing of liusiness
and financial standing.
"As an example of liow rapidly the l)usiness of this harbor is
developing, a statement of the amount of coal, ore and lumber liandled,
will l)e interesting. The lumber received last year amounted to
15,442,426 feet, the ore and coal amounted to 678,935 tons. The influ-
ence of the recent improvements in ore and coal handling machinery
and tile building of the Johnson Company furnaces promise to double
the latter figures for the next season."
Years ago the city pledged itself to expend an amount not to exceed
one mill per annum on the assessed valuation for the ])i-oadening, (lecj)-
eniiig and straightening of the river eiumnel. The amount actually
expended has been far below this figure. The city engineer estimates
the average yearly expenditure for harbor improvement at al)0ut +8,000.
The actual figures for the years 1902 to 1913 follow: 11)02-1904,
$190,000; 1905, nothing; 1906, $5,000; 1907, nothing; 1908, $8,000;
1909, ,$14,700; 1910, $14,239; 1911, nothing; 1912, $25,000; 1913,
$15,000 (estimated). It is to be noted in connection with the figures
just given, that during the years 1902-1904, an amount of $190,000 was
exi)ended in one big river dredging contract. This really was an ex-
traordinary expense, found necessary after many years during which the
river channel had virtually been neglected. The big total cannot be
considered normal. The floods of early spring, another extraordinary
circumstance, made necessary the dredging work to be done durij)g the
present year, which is estimated at $15,000.
As the inner portion of the harbor must be maintained by the care
and effort of men, so must the outer portion. Old settlers tell of seeing
men plow trenches in the Black River bottom after a hard "north-
easter" has sent seas across the lowlands near the mouth of the stream
and filled the channel with sand. Concrete protection piers, constructed
by the Federal Covernment at a cost of iiundreds of thousands of
dollars, ward off the mischievous northeasters now. Hetvveen the i)iers
is an entrance 400 feet wide.
Out beyond the protection piers stands the 1>reakwater wall, mas-
sively built of limestone from the (piarries at the upf)er end of tiie lake.
:\\'i-l ,'"'/!.'
;j2« IIISTOIiY OF I.OKALV COUNTY
iiiid (U'si^iiud iillimiilcly to ronii IIk; two halves oi' ii {rrvni liair-s{iiiare,
with ils aiiyU; ronioved. 'I'Ik; western arm, when eoni]»h'l(Hi, will he
1J,;{5U feet in total leiij^th. The- eastern arm is planned for u length ol!
2,;{0() feet. Tlie openinj^ hetween the two arms, is directly opposite the
40()-foot opening hetween the inner proteetion piers, and of the same
width. The hreakwater is praetieally eomplete.
So far, the Federal Government has eontined its operations at the
Lorain iiarbor strictly to that portion lying ontside the river mouth.
Now forces are at work to induce Congress to draw upon the national
treasury for extensive improvements in tiie inner chaiuiel. Straighten-
ing work, already carried forward hy the city, would be continued on
a far larger scale than the municipality can afford. A survey to deter-
mine tlie extent of the work has already been authorized l)y the National
Government.
So much for what the harltor is and will be. Now for a few facts
concerning what the harbor is doing. Figures cease to l)e dry and
uninteresting after they pass the million mark. An analysis of the
bu.siiiess of the port as given by United States Inspector Henry F. Alex-
ander, for a iiuml)er of years, is presented without comment :
Rec 'pts and Shipm 'ts
Coal Shipments
Iron Ore Rec 'pts i
\n Kinds Fr.
Year
Net Tons
Net Tons
Net Tons
1!)(KS
2,098,074
2,286,350
4,3i)9,350
11)09
2,075,911
3,124,656
5,220,427
11)10
2,8;J5,782
3,175,802
6,043,076
1!)1]
;],148,270
3,289,030
6,454,436
1912
3,161,661
4,230,187
7,408,088
l!)i;5
4,;595,378
4,165,822
8,618,216
1914
2,579,8:54
1,872,567
4,507,075
The comparatively small amount of freiglit handled during 1914 was
owing to the general busine.s.s tlepression.
The 1I.\uiu)u of the Pkesent
The harbor ot Lorain has had a reputation for many years of being
not only the most secure of any of the Great Lakes, liut also oiu; of the
most thoroughl}' improved. It was this feature of the i)ort more than
any other which deternuned the location of the i>lants of the American
Shii) Building Company and the .Johnson Steel (Company. 'IMie fine;
harbor also decided th<' Cleveland, Loi'ain & AVheeling Raili'oad to make
liorain its terminus, with the establishment of its imnu'use docks for the
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 327
handling of ore, coal aiul lunil)er. Furtlier, the harl)oi- protected and
encouraged the tisliing industry, which had heen early estahlished at
the mouth of the Black River and is still of considerahle volume.
The harhor of the present emhraces not only the gigantic outer hreak-
water which offers protection for marine craft at tlie river moutli, hut
81/; miles of dockage along the Hlaek River. Altogetlier tliese facilities
represent 87,000 lineal feet, or over seven uulcs of dockage. In tliese
improvements, as well as in the maintenance of dee]) water at the mouth,
the Federal Government has already appropriated about $480,000, to
wliich the city has added nearly !t;l)0(),000 ; and there is now available,
both from the national and municipal funds, fully $900,000 for harl)or
and river improvements. The principal improvement now in progress
is the work of widening tiie ciianiud between tlie Government i)iers, whicli
run into the lake for 2,000 feet to the lightiiouse. In order to maintain
an ade(]uate channel, the City of Lorain has acipiired the laiul necessary
to secure the minimum river width of 400 feet. Tiiis step luis been
taken to forestall encroachments upon the river by the growing industrial
plants established along its course. An important harbor improvement
in the near futui'e is the construction of a lateral breakwater 2,400 yards
in length and located about a f(uarter of a mile from the ends of the
lake i)icrs, thus greatly adding to the capacity and security of the outer
harbor.
Development of B. & 0. Termin.\l
A notabh; feature in the harbor improvements and a leading element
in the commercial and industrial revival and continuous growth of
Lorain, are indicated in the improvements commenced by the Cleve-
land & Tuscarawas Valley Railroad and continued by its successors,
the Cleveland, Lorain & ^Vheeling and the Baltimox'e & Ohio. The
broad and remarkable expansion of the railway interests devoted to the
transhipment of iron ore and coal at that ])oint, commencing with
the early '70s, is thus pictured by the Lorain Times-IIerald : "In
transhipping equipment at the Lorain terminal, the Cleveland & Tus-
carawas had tliree coal docks, each of the derrick type with buckets
that were tilled liy hand. One dock was locatiul at llie foot of lower
Hi'oadway and tlie otliei" two a slmrt distance soutii of the Krie Avcmue
viadui't and bridge. Vov oi'e uuloa<iing lliere were two I'li'ie ci'aiies,
mounted at the site of tlie jjresent No. 2 coal dump near the Round
TFouse bend. The cranes dropped tiieir loads on tlie dock, wlieni'e it
was transporfed lo the storage bins in 'man-power' wheelbarrows.
"Crude MS 111 piipmeiil was, llie ('levelnnd (.^ Tiiseiirawas N'ailey
328 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
contrived to reship at Lorain between 40,000 and 60,000 tons of ore
and in the neighborhood of 175,000 tons of coal each season.
"The early '80s brought marked development. RidiiianeiMg was
effected With its lines extended to the Ohio river, the road, in ISSU,
expanded under the name of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling. ^ Three
years before E. M. Pierce, who was to become one of Lorain's most
influential citizens, had come liere from UhriehsviUe 1o assume the
responsibility of agent of the coal terminal.
"Agent Pierce's administration, covering the period between 1880
and 1907, was marked by extensive development of the re-organized
railroad's' terminal facilities. 'Whirlies,' and later a battery of Brown
hoists, replaced the cranes for unloading ore. The coal-loading der-
ricks gave way to the present No. 1 coal loader nortli of the Erie Avenue
bridge, capable of picking np a 'gondola' and dumping its contents into
a vessel. Yardage and repaid facilities were expanded.
"In 1900 came a second reorganization, opening the ])reseHt and
the greatest epoch in the history of the road. The patriarch Baltimore
& Ohio, reaching westward for outlets, alisorbed the Cleveland, Lorain &
"Wheeling. In legal name only the old road still exists. In a material
way to it has been imparted the pulse of the larger, more powerful
organization.
"Improvements in terminal facilities went forward with the
redoubled speed under the new ownership. A second coal-dump, with
a larger eai)acity than the old No. 1, was built on the east side of the
river south of the Nickel Plate bridge. Last, but by no means least,
there was placed in commission in May, 1912, a $2,000,000 ore unload-
ing plant at the foot of Broadway, where once stood the derrick coal
loaders, with their liand-fiUed buckets.
"Nowhere on the Creat Lakes is there a more complete cargo-
handling plant of the big-storage type than that which rears its great
structural steel bulk at the lower end of the city's principal business
street. Thousands of cubic yards of concrete, thousands of tons of
steel, and hundreds of tliousands of rivets went into the making of this
great mass of machinery that will unload two 10,000-ton ves.sels in
twenty-four hours. The three moval)le 'ram' unloaders, each carrying a
9-ton, claTn-shell bucket. At the rear of the three unloaders travels
the great conveyor bridge, as big as many a modern sky-scraper, itself
mounted on wlu'cls, and carrying aloug its titanic length a V-'-tou 'clam.'
The conveyor takes the ])lace of tlic! man-power wheel-bari'ows in trans-
mitting the ore back to the storage; bins.
"Improvements have been made in both No. 1 and No. 2 coal-loaders
since they were first installed. No. 2, the more modern, has a capacity
mSTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 329
of 20,000 tons in twenty-four liours; No. I's capacity is 10,000 tons
in the same period of time.
"For several years the Lorain yards have l)een doing a largo sliare
of the freight car repair work of the Cleveland division of the Baltimore
& Ohio. The shops have grown and increased in size many times since
1872. Today they are the largest shops assigned to freight-ear work
on the entii'e Baltimore & Ohio System."
The Lokain Board op Co.m merge
The Lorain Board of Commerce, with organizations of a kindred
nature of an earlier date, has accomplished much toward the com-
mercial and indiistrial development of Lorain. The present body is the
result of a merger of the old chamber of eonnnorce, founded in 1883,
and the board of trade, organized in 1899; the con.solidation occurred
in 1908 under the name of the Lorain Board of Commerce. The details
which led to these three steps toward development are as follows :
On the afternon of July 28, 1883, eight men met in the directors'
room of the old First National Bank to organize the Lorain Board of
Public Improvement. The eight citizens were Theodore F. Daniels,
founder of the bank in which the meeting was held; E. U. Pierce,
Lorain agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ; David Wallace, vessel
owner; John Staug, marine contractor; C. J. Hills, secretary of the
Lorain Brass Works; G. J. Clark, a leading attorney; Frank M. White-
man, a merchant; and F. A. Rowley, owner and editor of the Lorain
Times.
]\Ir. Clark was instructed to draft articles of incorporation, and
three days later a charter was issued by State Secretary James W. New-
man. The name of the organization, meanwhile, had been changed to
"The Chamber of Commerce, of Lorain, Ohio." The incorporators
were ]\Iessrs. Whiteman, Rowley, Hills, Pierce and Daniels.
At the first business meeting on September 20th, a board of directors
comprising IMessrs. Hills, Daniels, Whiteman, Pierce and Clark was
elected. The directorate, at its tirst session, named the first officers:
President, T. F. Daniels; vice president, E. M. Pierce; secretary, F. A.
Rowley; ti'easurer, C. J. Hills.
For eight years the chamber of connnerce waged its campaign for
public improvement, handicapi>ed by a lagging i)ublic interest. The
official pcrsomicl cliangcd, but no records i;t'iiiairi of the organization's
affairs.
Then in 1891 new interest was awakened. On April 15th, of that
year, a reorganization ineeting was held in the office of Mayor W. B.
[flOTi^.n:
"^ =tr,
^30 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Tliompsoii. Coinmittcos wore namod to draft now incorporation articles
and Traiiie a new eonslilutioii and l)y-laws. On April 25111 a new cliarter
was issued ]>y tli(! state to iiicorpoi'ators .laiiu'S U. Ilo^e, II. .1. IJarrowH,
JO. iM. J'icrce, Otto Braiiii and dames Reid. Tweiily-llvo nieiiil)ers .siii:iied
the new enroll iiient.
A new board of directors, including W. B. Thompson, E. RI. Pierce,
James 15. Iloge, \V. A. Jewett, II. J. Barrows, Otto Braun and T. F.
Daniels was elected, and the directors, in turn, elected as officei'S :
President, AV. B. Thompson ; vice president. Otto Braun ; secretary,
James B. Iloge ; treasurer, AV. A. Jewett.
At tile next regular election, E. AT. Pierce was chosen to succeed
President Thompson. President I'ierce was succeeded by IMax ]More-
liouse, wlio resigned, and wbose unexpired term was filled by the
election of John Stang as president.
Then followed a [)eriod of several years, of wliich no record or
minutes remain. The year 18t)9 brought a second r(;-organization. At
a meeting in tlie council chamber in the Wagner Building on May 511), of
that year, tbe following directorate was elected: JO. AI. Pii'ree, F. A.
Rowley, George L. Glitscli, 0. P. Moon, S. L. liowman, G. A. Wilder,
E. A. Braun, W. A. Donaldson and N. B. Ilurst.
The offtcers chosen were: President, E. M. Pierce; first vice presi-
dent, George L. Glitsch ; second vice president, 0. P. I\roon; treasurer,
10. A. Braun ; secretary, l^"*. A. Rowley.
W. A. Donaldson was elected president on Uny 27, 1902, and
between that time and 1908 served four terms, Mr. Pierce being
re-elected for tbe term of 1906-07. The membership of the organization
in 1906, according to the records, was forty-three.
Tbe year 1908 lirougbt tbe amalgamation of the cbamber of com-
merce and the board of trade.
Tbe latter organization was formed early in 1908, D. II. Aiken being
its first and only president. At the time of tbe amalgamation, tbe
l)oard of trade enrolled about six1y nieinbei's, tbe ma,iority of whom
were South End merchants and ])rofe.ssional men.
Tbe meeting which combined tiie two bodies was held in the AVickt'US
Uuilding on the evening of Novemlier 24, 1908. V. C. LaAIarcbe, vice
])resi(lent of the cbamljer of commerce, acted as cbairman. A resolu-
tion, ei'eating an oi'ganization to lie known as "The Loi-ain lioard of
( 'iimniene," was adiipled. It was I'uniially agreed that membei's of the
two (ii'gani/ntions that wei'(^ parties to tlie coiidiinat ion siionld be mem-
liers, e\ ot'lieio, of the new body.
AV. X. Little was elected temporary president. On l")ecend)er Utb,
of the same yri\\\ his election was made permanent, President Lillle's
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 331
nni\ii'^'/\ug interest in the linked affairs of tlie hoard and of tlio eity
iias l)een reeof^ni/.ed l)y his re-election to tiie executive chair Tor every
term since he look office in 1908, exeei)t for the period from July, l'.)ll,
to January, lf>12. As a candidate for the nuiyoralty nomination.
Ml'. Little resigned the presitlency and was succeeded l)y II. D. Laker,
wiio resij>ned on Octol)er IS, 1911, and in turn was succeeded by C. R.
Horn.
.Mr. Little was re-elected in 1912-14 and Oeorge A. Clark in 1915.
'J'he i)resent officers are : Lester A. Fauver, president ; D. J. Boon, first
vice pri'sident ; G. W. ^lonasmith, secretary; A. E. Cameron, treasurer.
SCJI'KCE OF AuTIFrCIAIi LlGIlT .XND PoWER
The Citizens (las and Electric Liglit Company, with a large plant
oil East Twenty-first Street, is an outgrowtii of the Lorain Gas Com-
pany, wliicli was organized in October, 1899, with a capitalization of
.+300, 000, and which purchased, at the time, the rival plants of the
Wright Gas Company and the Lake Ei*ie Electric Light Company. It
is the source of light and power for Lorain, Elyria and considerable
adjacent territory. The Lake P^rie Electric Light Company was organ-
izeil in 1891, especially to operate the national incandescent system and
the Edison arc lamp.
TELEPiioNE Service
The complete and efficient telephone .service of Lorain was inaugu-
rated in the .spring of 1894 by the organization of the Black River
Telephone Company, with the following officers: J. B. Coffuiberry,
president; Harry C. Burrell, vice president; James B. Iloge, secretary
and treasurer; George L. l^uell, manager, and C. G. Washburn, attorney.
Aljout 1902 the new building of the exchange was occupied. It was
largely tiirough the technical skill and long practical experience of
Arthur W. Iloge, consulting engineer and contractor, that the local
system was brought into such smooth working order. Mv. Iloge was
associated witli the engineering department of the Lorain steel plant
during its consti'uctive period, and previous to tiiat period had lieen
division engineer during the Imibliiig of the ( 'li'vcland, Lorain &
Whei'lirig K'ailroad. 10. M. Tierce, for a numl>er of years president of
the IJJaek Iv'iver Telepiioiie Company, was also a strong force; in its
founding and development.
3:32 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
Tiiio IjOhain Hanks
Half a dozun 1)aiiks, with avoraf^e deposits of lictwecii $4,000,000 and
$5,000,000, co-operate with the couiiiieree, business and industries of
Lorain, and thus uphold tlie substantial character of the place as one
of the growing lake ports of the country.
The City Bank
The oldest of the Lorain banks now in operation is conducted by
the City Bank Company. In 1899 it was established as the City Bank,
at Pearl Avenue and East Twenty-eighth Street, South Lorain — its
present location.
National Bank of Commerce
Although the National Bank of Commerce dates its separate organi-
zation from January 10, 1900, it was, in a certain sense, the predecessor
of the old Citizens Savings Bank, which connnenced business under
the name of the Bank of Lorain in October, 1880. The original mover
in that enterprise was T. F. Daniels, cashier of the Citizens National
Bank of Oberlin, who came to Lorain in 1879 to investigale the pros-
pects of the awakened village at the mouth of Black Hiver. lie was
so impressed tliat he returned to the college town, resigned his position
as cashier, returned to Lorain, bought a tire-proof and burglar-proof
safe, moved it into the front ])arlor of ^Irs. Mnvy Keid's residence on
P>road\vay and anno\inced that the town's lirst bank was ready for
business.
The Old Bank op Louain
The Baidc of Lorain was a success from the beginning, and in Jan-
uary, 1882, through the initiative and continuous exertions of 'Slv.
Daniels, it was reorganized as the First National Bank, with a capital
of $50,000 and authority to increase that sum to $300,000. W. A.
Braman was elected president and T. F. Daniels cashier. The First
National Bank of Lorain also 'threw IMrs. Reid's front parlor doors
open to the public, allliough it broke ground for a building of its own
at tlie corner of Broadway and J?ank Sti'eet-. In DeciMubei', 1882, the
new building was ready for occupancy, liusine.ss increa.sed. There
also was a growing demand in tlie couununity for loans on mortgages,
which the hunk could not meet under its National charter. In .March,
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 333
1893, the institution was reorganized as the Citizens Savings Bank, and
was o])erated niider that name until several years ago.
'J'liK Citizi:ns Savings Bank RKouoANiziio
In 1900, Charles Ilahn, who had been vice president of the Citizens
Savings Bank, E. A. Braun, who had served as its assistant cashier
untler T. F. Daniels, and others, organized the National Bank of
Coiiuuerce. jMr. Ilahu became president of the new institution; George
L. Glitsch, vice president; Mr. Braun, cashier, and A. R. Rladdock,
a.ssistant cashier. The present otticers are: Charles Ilahn, president;
(icorge L. (ilitsch, vice i)resident; E. A. Braun, vice president; A. R.
.Aladdock, cashier. The capital stock of the National ]3ank of Commerce
is ,$100,000, surplus and undivided profits over $24,000, and average
deposits, about $1,300,000.
Cleveland Trust Company, Lorain Branch
Jn ^lay, 1905, the Cleveland Trust Company took over the old
Lorain Savings & Banking Company, and reorganized its business as a
branch of that corpoi'ation. The local manager is A. E. Cameron. Ilis
jircdcccssors were A. V. Ilageman ami J. A. Purccll. The first location
was in a small two-story building on the east side of Broadway north
of Fourth Street. It afterward occupied the ]\Iajcstic Building and
.still hiter its own financial home on Broadway and Fourth.
The Lorain Savings & Banking Company
Tile Lorain Savings & Banking Company, which was thus absorbed
by tin- Cleveland Trust Company, was organized in January, 1891,
creeled a Imilding in the spring of that year, and commenced business
in .July. E. ]\I. Pierce, president, Thomas Gawn, vice president, and
•lames H. Ilogc, cashier, were the mainstays of the institution which
for fourteen years was so stanch a factor in the financial .stability of
Lorain. .Messrs. Pierce ami Iloge were also identified with the earlier
aelivities of the Cleveland, Loi'ain & Wheeling Railway Company.
The (-kntkae Banking Company
111 .lime, 1I)0,">, Hie I'eiifield Aveinie I'.aiik Company was organized,
llie li\isiness being eoiidueted undei' that name uiilil .lanuai'y, 1910,
when il was assuiiied liy Hie ('<'iilral Uaiik Company, more generally
334 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
known as tlie Central liank. II. J. Barrows served as president for
live years, when he was snceeeded by the present ineunibent, W. B.
Thompson. Charles ]\I. J^rainan, the first eashier, is now viee president,
and B. A. Foskett has l)een ])roinoted from assistant eashier to easliier.
The first viee president is D. II. Aiken, who, with the others mentioned,
assumed olfice in January, 1914. The capital stock of the Central
Bank Company is $50,000; surplus and undivided profits, $37,500,
and average deposits, $750,000.
The Lorain Banking Company
The Lorain Banking Company is one of the solid institutions of the
city, and is officered as follows: R. Thew, president; Orville Root, first
viee president; B. G. Nichols, second vice president; C. ]\I. Irish, secre-
tary and treasurer. The capital stock is $125,000 ; surplus and undivided
profits, $15,500; deposits, about $550,000.
The George Oroszy Banks
George Oroszy also operates two private 1)aiiks, one in .Soutli Lorain.
CIIAPTEll XVI r
CHURCHES OF LOKAIN
Oi.nKST Existing Ciuihcii — The ^Methodists and Lot No. 205 —
"Father" ]5etts and the Presbyterians — The liAPrisTS Hold
EAiiLY Services — The J*resi}\'terianh "at Home" — I\Ietiiodists
Organize First Church — First Congregational Church — First
^1. E. Church — Church op Christ — St. jMary's Roman Catholic
Church — Twentieth Street Methodist Church — St. John'^
Evangelical, First Baptist, United ]Jretiiren and Second Con-
gregational Churches — Episcopal Churches — Delaware Avenue
and Grace M. E. Churches — St. Joseph's Roman Catholic
Church — Church of the Nativity — Hungarian Catholic
Churches — Other South Lorain Churches — Churches Formed
BY Colored I^eople — The First Presbyterian Church — The First
Church op Christ, Scientist — Jewish Synagogue — First English
Lutheran — Hungarian Reformed Church — Trinity Baptist
Church.
Although the Baptists, Presbyterians and Jletliodists are known to
]iave held scrviees as early as when Lorain was the little fishing settle-
iiieiit of Hlaek Jiiver, or the infantile Village of Charleston, and the
Ceriaan-speaking settlers also organized in the struggling pioneer days
of the plaee, it was not until the early '70s, when Lorain was generally
acknowledged to he fii-mly rooted, that religionists of all denominations
also eomiiiciieed to organize with fonfideiiee in the future of their
ehurelu'S. A (piarter of a century afterward, with the birth of modern
industrialism at Lorain and the consequent expansion of its activities
in every direction, including a large influx of workmen from abroad,
lh(! nuiid)er of churches increased correspondingly. During that ])eriod
fully a dozen substantial organizations were established, including tlire(;
large Catholic churches.
Oldest IOxisting Church
Tlic oldest existing ehurcli in Tiorain is the I'biianuel I'>vangelical.
lis iiouse of worship is on Reid Avenue, between Fifth and Sixth
336 HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
.streets, and its pastor, Rev. C. J. IloUinger. Tlie society befjan its
missionary labors in Lorain during 1848, its first meeting being in a
small chapel on the farm of Caspar Dute. The church was organized
in 1851, with seven charter members, at which time services were being
held in a log house on Oberlin Avenue. In 1855 a frame church was
Iniilt on the corner of what is now Fourth Street and Hamilton Avenue,
which was used as a place of worship until 1889, when the property now
occupied was purchased and tlie brick edifice erected. The mendjer-
.ship is about 175.
TuE Methodists .\nd Lot No. 205
The ^Methodists appear to have held services at an early day and
organized a class in 1856, but to have experienced quite a long period of
inactivity prior to the early '7Us, when the3^ were revived as a mission
and in 1875 organized as a cliurch. In 1870 the Methodists had decided
to build a new edifice and moved their old wooden meeting house from
their property on Washington Avenue just north of Erie, to Lot 205,
and gave it to Charleston as a town hall. That lot had been public prop-
erty since 1837. In the original plat of Charleston of that year, Lot
No. 205 was mai'ked iMeeting House, and was to be donated to that
body of Christians who should first erect thereon a house of worship of
certain dimensions. Evidently none of tlie religious bodies of Charleston
had been able to build a church of sufficient dimensions to claim the site.
"Father" Betts and the Pkesbyterians
The First Congregational Church of Lorain antedates the ^Methodist
as an independent local organization by about three j'ears. Among
its founders and its faithful workers for many years were tlie okl
banker, T. F. Daniels, and his good wife, both of whom moved to
Florida in 1906 in a search for restored health. At the silver anni-
versary of the church, held July 25, 1897, ]\Ir. Daniels read an interest-
ing history of its progress to that time. He thus speaks of the early
religious movements at Lorain: "It is difficult to ascertain just wlien
an organized effort was made to establish a church here, although a
Presltyterian church was organized at Elyria in a log schoolhouse,
Xovciiiber 25, 1824, fhrougli Ihe elVoils of 'Fatiicr' Alfred 11. Betts,
who began i)rca<'hiiig at {{rowidielm in 1820 and was ordained in 1821.
Ijclonging to Huron l*r('sl)ytery. 'Fallier' Hctts laljored all through
tills region, being iiersonally known by a number here who are still
living.
'(•fi,)it.,r '5:tc'' A:i''{ 'jjf'
• it itlittll
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY ;i;j7
Tjiic Uai'tists IIom) Eaklv kSiORvrcios
"TIk'Iv is Jill iiiipri'ssioii that the Itaptists lield services, and perliaps
had an oi'yanization liuru, prior to tlie Presl)yterians, l)ut I can get no
jxjsitive data thereon. Tliey certaiidy had sei'vices, whicli were held
foi- a time in the schoolhouse which stood on that part of the Lake Road
a few rods west of Washington street, wliieh is now all washed away;
for you will bear in mind that the business and residence thoroughfarus
not only through Black River, but between New York and Chicago,
crossed the river by ferry near its mouth and on westward, where tlie
waters of Lake Erie now roll. The Baptists also held services in the
frame building— one of the fir.st to be erected in Black River— which
was afterward used as a church by the Presbyterians and JMethodists,
as a si-lioolhouse and a towji hall, still later by this church, and now as
a residence belonging to Mv. Moyses on AVashington street near First
avenue.
The PRE,sByTERi.vN.s "At Home"
"In 1841 01- 1S42 the Presbyterians secured themselves a home
Ihroiigh tile generosity of their members; notably, T. Baldwin and his
wife, Sojihia, sister of Conrad Reid, who owned the above mentioned
frame building, then located on Lake street between Washington and
the lOlyria Road, and at one time occupied hy Jacob Vetter as a resi-
dence and shoe shop. This they donated, in whole or in part, and it
was moved on the property later known as the IMethodist Church lot
on Washington near Erie (or .Main street, as it was then called). Tiie
lot was furnisiied by Mi: Baldwin, the Days, and Captain J. W. Randall,
others out of town assisting in moving and remodeling the church. The
bell came from the Wilcox boarding house, located south and west of
Mi\h\ street and the Elyria Road (corner of Broadway and Erie
avenue).
Methodists Org.\nize FntsT Church
"Where the Presbyterians worshiped before, and how long they
were (ii'ganized, it is difficult to ascertain. They held services in Lorain
for years, but finally, through the cessation of 'Father' Betts' labors,
the ehurih became feeble. The building was used as a schoolhouse until
Uie spring of LSaG, when the present Alelhodist church was organized
by K'evs. Hard and (Iriffin, as the result of a reimirkable series of
revival meetings conducted by them the preceding winter. There were
nineiy-nine jiersons who united at the lime of organization.
338 HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY
"The present German Evangelical Church of Rcid and Bank streets,
formerly located on Doane street, and even earlier worshiping in the
log house of 'Grandma Brown,' corner of Doanc; and Wasliington streets,
antedates the Methodist organization by several years."
First Congregational Church
• As already noted, in 1870 the ]\Iethodist people decided to build a
new edifice and moved the wooden meeting house onto Lot 205, now
occupied by the Congregational Church. It was formally turned over
to the authorities as a town hall, the present building being then used
as a schoolhouse. In the booni of 1872, incident to the building of the
C]eV(!land, Tuscarawas Valley & Wheeling Railroad, there seemed to be
rootri for another organization. "Father" A. i). Barber, then laboring
at North Amherst, was solicited by A. R. Fitzgei'ald to visit this place
and hold services; which he did, and the present Congregational Church
grew out of the effort and canu' into being in this same litth; meeting
house, by council convened July 2:i, 1872.
The council which thus established the First Congregational Church
was composed of Rev. A. D. Barber, J. W. Humphrey and II. S. Davis,
of Amherst; Rev. Samuel Wolcott, D. D., of Cleveland, moderator;
Rev. F. D. Kel.sey, scribe, and L. Rice, of Columl)Us, and Rev. S. Bryant,
of Vermillion. Nine members were then received into tlie new church —
Roland Osgood, Laura O.sgood, Cas.sie Osgood, Ruby Prince, Elizabeth
Peachy, Ann Gilmore, Elizabeth Brown and IMargaret Cunningham.
As the ]\Iethodists had released all claim to the building and the town
authorities could not hold the lot for other than religious purposes, the
indirect owners of the land eleared the title on Lot 205. Tlie quit-claim
deed was dated August 2, 1872, and signed by the Fitzgeralds and Gil-
mores, and in ]\Iay, 1881, nearly tliree years after the completion of the
present building, the city officials, through the mayor and clerk, gave
their consent to the use of the site, as reciuired by the original owners.
Thus the title was completed.
Not long after its organization in 1872, through the efforts of Rev. A.
D. Barber, the church secured tlie services of Arthur T. Reed, then a
student at Oberlin College.
The second pastor was B. N. Chamberlain, ordained and installed
by council. The third was Rev. J. B. Stocking. On ]\Iarch 13, 1876,
action was taken to adojit i)liins drawn l)y E. C. Kinney for a new
church, and to rent a lot in the rear of tlie church for five years onto
which to move the old biiilding.
On October 17, 1876, the cornerstone of the present building was
HISTORY OF LOHAIM COUNTY ;{39
laid, and tlie fiiiislied structuro was dedicated Noveinl)er 1:5, 187S. The
i'ourtli piislor, J{cv. Fvnnk iMcCoiiauKliy, served rroiii 1877 lo 1S84. Tlio
lil'th ])as1of was liev. Sidney Slronf?. Tlie sixUi was Kev. A. I). Harher,
under whose Jeadersliip llio oliurcli paid its deht and i)nreliased tlie lot
and one-half on which the parsonage stands.
Tlie seventh pastor, Rev. F. P. Sanders, served Trom ISHO to 1892.
During his pastorate the pipe organ was i)ureliased. The eluireli iiiem-
bershij) at that time was 241.
The eightli j)astor was Rev. C. J. Dole, 1892 to 1895, and the ninth
Rev. T. I). I'hilips, 189G to 1899. During liis pa.storate tiic parsonage
was built.
The tenth pastor was Rev. A. E. Thompson, 1899 to 1903. While
'^h•. Tliomp.son .served, the eliureh was remodeled, a mortgage of :f8,000
being placed on the church jiroperty, and the building was rededicated
February 23, 1902. The eleventli pa.stor was Rev. 11. 1). Sheldon, VMi
to 1910. Tlie longest pa.storate in the history of the church. The
twelfth pastor was Rev. A. R. Hrown, 1910 lo 1914. Rev. P. X. Pcii-
iiett, who now occui)ies the pulpit, began work in I\Iai-ch, 1!)14. The
First (Jongregalional Olmrch has a present iiieiiibei-sliii) of 400.
First M. K. Cjniijcir
Tn 1875 the First :\rethodist l']pi.scopal Church was n.ade a ".station"
under the Mi'llioilist i>laii, having a membership of eighty-six. Prior to
that time, for a number of year.s, it had been part of a circuit, having
the services of a pastor only i)ai-t of the time. Rev. A. P. Jone.s v.as
appointed pastor at that time. The first church building stood on the
corner of Washington Avenue and West Ki'ie Street.
In 1890 Rev. J. Frank Smith was appointed pa.stor and under his
leadership a new site was purchased at the corner of Sixth Street and
Reid Avenue, for +1,274, and the pi'csent building was erected at a
total co.st, including lots, of !};2(),481. A pipe organ was afterwards
installed and other additions and imi3ro\'emeiits were made from time
to time, greatly increa.sing the value and utility of the struclure. The
I)roperty is now valued at $30,000. The church also has a line parson-
age valued at $5,000, located at the coi-ner of Reid Aveiuu- and Seventh
Street. Succeeding Mr. Smith as i)astor were Rev. N. E. Davis and
Rev. Jo.sephiis R. Jacob, the latter having lu-en in charge since Sei)teni-
bcf, 1!)13.
The church at present (1915) has a member.ship of over fiOO and Iho
Sunday school an enrollment of nearly 500.
340 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
CllUUCU OF ClllUST
In 1874 W. S. Streator, president of thu Cleveland, Tusearawas
Valley & AYheeling Railroad, sent W. A. Wire to Lorain to take charge
of the yai'ds of the company. It was through ]Mr. Wire's efforts that
the Church of Christ was established on December 17, 1876. Among its
charter menibei's were jMrs. AYire, Mrs. S. D. Porter and V. II. Osgood.
The first meetings were held in Edison's Ilall on the corner aftcward
occupied by the Lorain Hardware Company. The first pa.stor of the
church was Rev. Robert Moffctt, and his successors have been Revs. C. (.J.
Aldrich, J. E. Rhodes, L. A. Chapman, A. K. Adrock, Glen Warnock,
V. G. IIo.stetter, W. E. Adams, T. D. Garver, F. M. Gibbs, J. J. Karris,
j\I. J. .Maxwell, William Downing, W. A. Wire, U. A. White, L. J.
^McDonald, Garry L. Cook, A. C. Gray, AV. S. Ilayden, A. II. Jordan
and N. Zuleh. In the year 1878 the congregation purchased a site on
Fifth Street and built a one-room chapel. That building was the home
of the congregation for twenty-four years. In 1902 the little chapel
was replaced by the substantial structure now in use, wliich was erected
at a cost of $10,000. The church has a membership of over 400.
St. ]\I.\ry's Roman Catii'^lic Church
The oldest and the largest Roman Catholic Church in Lorain is St.
Mary's. In 1873 Rev. L. ]\Iolon, of Elyria, first ministered to the few
Catholics then residing at the mouth of the Black River. Until January,
1878, he visited Lorain monthly, saying mass in private families. The
conununity's first resident priest was Rev. Joseph Romer, who came to
the village in February, 1878, and for a time held .services at the resi-
dence of Peter ]Miller. In March, 1879, a chapel on Reid Avenue near
wluit is now Seventh Street, acquired through the efforts of Father
Romer, was opened. The congregation at this time enrolled about thirty
families.
In 1883 a larger church replaced the first little chapel. A year
later the church was made self-supporting, and Rev. Joseph Eyler
becanu' the resident pastor.
The Sisters of St. Francis took charge of the church school in 1888,
and late in the same year the i)resent two-story brick school building
was ci'ecfed at a cost of $10,000. On June f), 189.'), the frame church
was destroyed by lire and a year later the handsome edifice at present
occupied by the church was completed, tlu- building representing an
oullay of $35,000. Tlie ciuirch was dedicated on Sunday, May 23, 1897,
by the Ut. Rev. Uishop llorstiiuni.
'fT'ifji*;'! t
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 341
Since till! (;oinin<» of llic iii-csi'iif ])astor, Ri'V. J. J. Joliiisloii, a n'^-
tofv, costiiif,' alxmt $2"), ()()(), lias Ix'cii ciwM'tcd. 'IMu- cliurcli's I'cal i)i'oi)-
ci-ty now includes six lols, oinbraciiij^ tin; entire liloek on the west side
of iu'id Avenue betweoi Seveiitii and Eiglitli streets, the church, school
and rectory buildings. The total value of the i)roperty exceeds .i>20U,000.
The church has a menibership of 1,600. The Sunday school enrollment
is ."JOO and that of the i)arochial school more than 300.
Twentieth Street Metiiodlst Church
The second organization of the Lorain Alethodists, the Twentieth
Street M. E. Church, was founded by IJev. Jolm WiLson in 1879. It is
an oftshoot of the First M. E. Church, of whicli ]Mr. Wilson was at the
time pastor. Meetings were at first held in a little chapel at Reid Ave-
nue and Seventeenth Street. There were forty-nine members. Rev. F.
E. Baker was the first pastor and was succeeded by Rev. ]\Iilo Kelser.
The present cluirch edifice at Reid Avenue and Twentieth Street
was erected in 18!)9. Until the street names were changed several years
ago the church was known as the Kent Street ]M. E. Church.
TIk; successors of J\Ir. Kelser were Revs. John M. Baxter and -Joseph
Kinniiy, the latter, now in service, assuming the pastoi'ate in October,
I!)!-!. The church has a membersliip of about 325 ami the Sunday
school a somewliat larger enrollment.
St. John's Evangelical Church
St. Jolm's Evangelical Cluirch, now more than a quarter of a cen-
tury old, was organized i\Iay i), 1880, with sixteen ciiarter mend)ers.
These were Conrad AViegand, Conrad Ilagdman, John Ruger, Jolm
Aschenbach, August Nahorn, Adam Braun, Carl Roeder, Carl Ileinrieh,
Ernst Becker, Henry Steinhauer, Henry Nobele, Catharine Reid,
Catherine Pratsch, ^lathilda Reichard and Gust Zellmer.
Services were held by Rev. John Vontobel of Amherst, fii-st in
Edison's hall and later in the First Congregational Church.
The first hou.se of worship (the little frame church still used as a
liouse of worslii]) by the Second IM. E. Church) was erected at Reid
Aveinu^ and Seventh Street. .Mr. Vontobel was .succeeded by Rev. W.
A. Walter, who came fi'om Andierst every other Sunday and held
l)r('aciiing services.
Rev. -lolm liisclioff was llie first resident minislei-. Tie came here
in IMS,") ami remained for ten years. During his ])astorate the first par-
sonage was erected on Iveid Avenue. l\Ir. HiscliolV was succeeded l)v
'\H f.Jo i.l
342 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Rev. C. W. Loher, now of Baltimore, Maryland, in ]895. Inuring his
pastorate; tlie present hrick cliurch at Reid Avenue and tSeveiith Street
was creeled. Mr. Jjolier resit^ned in 1898 and was sueeeeded on Septeni-
her lltli of tlie same year by Rev. \V. L. Bretz, wlio continued as pastor
for some seventeen years. During his pastorate the church developed
into an organization of some 600 coniinunicants, with a flourishing Sun-
day school and other large auxiliaries. Services are conducted in both
German and English.
The Fikst Baptist Church
The First Baptist Church was organized i\Iay 14, 1882, with seven
members. JMiss Laura Young is tlie only charter member residing in
Lorain. On July 9, 1882, the congregation moved from the north end
of tile city to a building at the south end. The Buck Building was sold
and meetings were then held at the home of Mrs. E. J. Nichols on
Livingston Avenue. On September 27, 1882, 'William A. Brainan &
Company donated two lots and a church building was erected on the
corner of Woodland Avenue and Forest Street, now Reid Avenue and
Eighteenth Street. Services were lield for llie first time in the new
church l)y Rev. P. S. Aioxom on July 10, 188:5.
Rev. C. C. Green, tiie lirst resident pastor, came to Lorain May 2i,
1883. He remained until September, 1884, and was succeeded by Rev.
F. Ilodder. Other ministers who iilled the pulpit were Revs. S. Early,
F. II. Young, A. W. Stone, A. Cooper, C. S. Collins, J. L. Cook, II. Wil-
liam Pilot, E. C. Siuimaker and W. Waldemar W. Argow. The last
named has occupied the pulpit since Jlay, 1914. The present member-
ship of the church is over 200. A new building is being planned for
the near future.
The United Bretiiken Ciiukch
The United Brethren Church is also one of the old religious organiza-
tions of Lorain, as age goes in that comparatively young town. On
January 6, 1895, it was organized hy twelve charter members. Services
were first conducted in a rented chapel on West Twenty-first Street
until June 7, 1908, when the edifice now in use was completed at
Twenty-first Street and Reid Avenue. Among its pastors have been
Revs. I). J. Good, Frank Tyler and T. J. Robey. Its memliership is
aliout 200.
Skconi) (!(»Noin';(i.\Ti(>NAh ('iriutcrr
Under tile frees of a grove in the Stei'l Plant District location, and
through tlie elVorls of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Day with other co-workers,
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 343
there was organized on Sunday, June 2, 1892, a Congregational Sunday
seliool which was soon to enroll 300 pupils. By August a chapel had
been crceted. The chapel now forms the soutli wing of' the Second
(Congregational Churcii on Kast Thirty-first Street, formerly Thirteenth
Avenue.
On September 8, 1895, Rev. J. A. Seibert began work as tiie pastor
of the church. A temporary organization was effected in February,
189G, and tile regular church officers were elected. There were four-
teen charter ineml)ers. Soon after the above date the little band was
reduced to six and discouragement settled over the congregation.
January 8, 1899, the first conununion .service was held in the little
chapel. On January 2, 1899, the church was reorganized with thirty-
one members. The next pastor was Rev. E. E. Scoville, who, in turn,
was succeeded by Rev. Wni. A. Dietrich. lie was followed by Revs. G. S.
Brett, W. A. Elliott, Walter Spooner, Harry Janes and 11 V. Tippett,
the last named being the present pastor.
The first little chapel stood on borrowed land. The present church is
on a site owned by the congregation. The building is the largest Eng-
lish Protestant Cliurch in the Steel Plant District, which is largely
monopolized by Catiiolic bodies. The present ciiurch membership is 125.
Episcopal Churches
St. David's was the first Episcopal Church in Lorain, its organiza-
tion dating from 1895. An edifice was erected on Pearl Avenue. Some
four years afterward the Latlies' Guild of the Redeemer Mission was
formed in the northern portion of the city, services being lii-st held in
the German Church. Archdeacon Brown presided. After a time serv-
ices were discontinued for a number of years, but in 1901 a reorganiza-
tion was effected under the name of St. George's ]\Ii.ssion, and Rev. T. E.
Swan was appointed rector. In less than a year Mr. Swan died and was
succeeded on ftlarch 9, 1902, by Rev. W. S. Llewellyn Romily. At the
annual meeting, in May, 1904, it was resolved to call the church by its
original name, "The Church of the Redeemer."
Earnest effort on the part of the members of the church materialized
in an individual place of worship, tin- present hand.some stone edifice at
Reid Avenue and Seventh Street, the cornei'sfone for which was laid
Oelober 2, 1901.
In the rectorafe Mr. Romily was succeeded by Rev. E. Ileeley
Moloney, wliose successors were Revs. ('. A. Dowell and 10. \'\ iJigler,
the liiller (iflieiating at liolli the Chureli of the K'edeemer and SI. Diivid 's.
344 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
Delaware Avenue M. E. Ciiuhcii
On vXiif^iist (J, 18!)!), (iavvii Avciiik; Mission Suiidiiy s(;li()()l was orj^iiii-
izcd l)y till! hoard of Hk; h'irst .M. JO. (Jliui'i-li. TIk; j)astoi' ol" the l''irst
Cliurch was Jlov. Albert VaiiCaiiii) at that time, and hu and Samuel
Butler took charge of the school. The Sunday school sessions were
held in tlie school building on old Fifth Street. During the year IDOl
the late Thomas Gawn built a chapel on Delaware Avenue and presented
it to the Gawn Avenue congregation.
In 1904 the cliurch was organized with nineteen charter members.
Rev. F. D. Stevic was the pastor. In 1906 the first chapel was sold and
a larger church huilt at East Erie and Delaware avenues.
The last two pastors of Delaware Avenue M. E. Church have been
Rev. G. AY. Ilouk and Rev. J. II. Le Croix, the latter having served
since September, 1913. The mendjership is nearly IGU, and the Sunday
school enrollment over 200.
Grace Methodist Episcopal Cimiscii
The Grace ^Methodist Episcopal Cliurch, formerly known as the
South Lorain M. E. Churcli, was organized at a called meeting of the
Methodists of the south part of the city, on July 13, 1900. The congre-
gation held its first meetings in the K. 0. T. IM. hall on East Twenty-
ninth Street with Rev. ]\Iilo Kelser, assistetl liy Rev. E. R. Romig, as
pastors. The congregation grew so rapidly that it was soon alile to
build a church edifice and on PVbruary 23, 1902, it moved info the pres-
ent building on East Thirty-first Street. Unencumbered by delit, the
institution plans to erect a parsonage within the near future. The
present enrollment is 140, with a Sunday school of 175.
Pastors who have filled the puli)its since the first organization
include Revs. E. S. Collier, II. D. Fleming, S. E. Sears, R. Halmer, W.
B. Maughiman, J. F. Stewart and E. AI. Iloagland. The last named is
the present pastor, having a.ssumed the pastorate in September, 1915.
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
St. Joseph's parish was organized by Rev. Charles Reichlin, the pres-
ent pastor, on January 5, 1S!)G. The first .service was held in the chapel
of St. Joseph's Ilo.spifal. h'our lots at the intersection of Reid Avenue
and Eighteenth Street were purchased, and a church was creeled. 'IMie
present edifice was dedicated i)y IJisiiop Ilorstman, Sunday, .May 9, 1S97.
Tlie structure is a massive brick building with stone IrimmiuL's
<llll 111 ' l<
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY ;J45
A parish school was organized sinuiUaiiooiisly with tlie parisli. In
January, ]Si)G, two rooms wen- n-nti'd for tin; purposn and two Sisters
of St. Franeis were instalh'd as t<'achers. Forty diihlren wvn- in atlend-
aiiec when tlie sehool was oj)ene(l and l)eror(; the end of .June TOO pupils
Were enrolled. The parish now lias ahout 125 families, a large Sunday
school, and a beautiful new parish iiouse, recently built. Rev. Charles
1^'iehlin, who was sent here by liishop lIoi'stm;in when tlu' church was
oi-gani/ed, is still in eliarge.
Church of tiie Nativity
Jn 1895 Catholic Polish people began to settle in Lorain, where the
docks and rolling mills gave the men employment. For nearly three
years they attended nuiss at St. .Mary's R. C. Church on Fighth
Street. Rev. Adolph Swierezynski was sent to Lorain in January, 18!J8,
to conduct services for the Polish speaking resiilents. He secured a
room in St. .Mary's School and had it fitted up as a i)]aee of worshii).
Services were held every other Sunday. Rev. Chas. II. Ruskow.ski
succeeded Father Swierezynski in June, 1898. The room at St. ^Mary's
School was abandoned in October and the church was moved into the
ba.sement of St. Jo.seph's Church. In September, 1898, five lots were
purchased at the corner of Jje.xington Avenue and Fifteenth Street to
serve as a site for church, school and pastoral residence.
Another lot was bought in November, 18i)9. A two-story frame,
combined church and school building, was finished in April, l!)(l(), and
was dedicated on Septendjcr 9th of tiie same year. The edilice cost
$10,000. In Septendjer, 1900, a parisli scliool was opened with an attend-
ance of sixty-five pupils, in charge of a lay teacher.
'J'he church at the ])resent time is in charge of Rev. A. A. Radecki.
It has a memljershij) of 460 families and a school enroll nu'iit of 285
pupils. The in'ojx'i'ty is owiu-d by the church and valued at +;U),(!()0.
IIuNG.\RiAN Catholic Chltrches
The origin of St. Ladislaus Roman Catholic Magyar Church, which
is one of file largest of the organizations sujtitorted l)y the foreign cle-
ment in South Lorain, was St. Stephen's Sick Penevolent Society,
founded by the Hungarians of tliat locality in 1898. A parish was
founded l»y IJcv. Charles Zochm, ])a.stor of St. Flizabelh (Muirch, Cleve-
land, and his assistant, Rev. Jose|)h Szabo. Fatiier Szabo became the
first resident priest of the i)ari.sli in 1904, and during bis i)astorate of
seven yeai's the church and i)arish house were erected at Wood Avenue
in''-i3 riv,
'i|(j ;|i; I il-
346 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
and East Twenty-ninth Street. In 1910 he was suceeeded by Rev. S. C.
Soltez, whose eharge comprises some 300 families.
In 190G tlie Hungarians of .South Lorain also organized a Greek
Catholic Church (St. Michael) which, for several years, has been in
charge of Rev. Basil Berecz.
Other South Lorain Catholic Churches
Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish was organized in 1905. The first
pastor -was Rev. Amlrew Smerkar, who, in 1907, was transferred to a
charge in Cleveland. In the fall of 1907 the church and rectory at
present occupied were purchased from St. John's Parish, which after-
ward built new parochial buildings on a site more suited to its purpose.
The parochial property consists of six lots on East Thirty-first Street
adjacent to the corner of Globe Avenue- — a combination church and
parochial school building and a rectory.
The parochial school connected with the parish is conducted by the
Notre Dame Sisters, of Cleveland.
Rev. J. A. Stefanic, present pastor of the church, assumed his charge
in :\larch, 1908.
The Slavisli settlers of Lorain in 1903 purchased 3^/; acres of land
located at Twenty-fifth Street and Elyria Avenue. On this was erected
the Holy Trinity Ciuirch, parochial school and pastor's rectory. The
site, together with the buildings represented a total outlay of about
$40,000. Tile first pastor was Rev. Joseph Avomek and Rev. Francis
Zozelek assumed charge in February, 1908. The chui-ch has a member-
ship of about 150 families. Its parochial school is under the supervision
of the Franciscan Sisters.
In Septembex', 1900, the cornerstone of St. John's Roman Catholic
Church was laid on East Thirty-first Street, mass being celebrated for
the first time in the following December.
Churches Formed by Colored People
The Second Baptist and the Second ^I. E. churches (botli formed by
colored people) were organized in 1894. The African ^Methodist Episco-
pal Church (St. Mathews) was formed in 1905.
TlIK h'lltS'l' I'liKSIlYTKItlAN (!llUUCH
Tlie I'Mi'st I'rt'sliyterian Church was organized l)y Dr. F. N. Kiale
Mild cstidilishcd by the Cleveliiiid I'rcsbytcry Oelobcr 25, 1!)0(). Meeliiigs
HISTORY OP LOKAIN COUNTY 347
were lield iii the pai'lors of llie Y. iM. C. A. until September 20, 1903,
wlieii the present eluireli buildiiijj wus dedieated. \V. A. Donaldson was
the lirst elder. The ehureh is the only one of its denomination in Lorain
County. Tlie meiidjersliip roll lists 188 active and forty reserved or
inactive. The present pastor, Rev. A. C. Thomson, bef,'an his ministry
March 1, 1911.
The Fu{.st Ciiukcix of Chiust, Scientist
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Vas organized in 1900. The
membership lias steadily increased. The church occupies rented
quarters at Reid Avenue and Nintli Street.
Jewish Synagouue
In 1900 the Jewish people in Lorain organized the Agudheh Acliiu
congregation and erected a synagogue on Twelftli Street between Broad-
way and Reid Avenue. The congregation has a meml)ersliip of about
125.
First Engusii Lutheran
Tlie First Englisli Evangelical LuHieran Cliurch was organized Sep-
tendjcr 20, 1903, witli twenty-three charter memljers. The tir.st church
services and Sunday school sessions were held in the Pierce Block,
Royal Arcanum rooms. A call was extended by the young congrega-
tion to Rev. N. J. Iladley to become its pa.stor, and he assumed charge
October 1, 1903. He continued with the congregation from that date
until December 31, 1912, when he resigned and was succeeded by the
present pastor, Rev. J. E. Shewell.
In tlie latter part of 190G the congregation Itought tlie present site
of its cliurch at the corner of Washington Avenue and Sixth Street.
The society worships in a chapel at that location.
Hungarian Reix)rmed Church
The Hungarian Reformed Church was organized in 1902 l)y Andrew
S. Estciics, wlio was also its tii'st elder, in tlie rollowing year tlu' eon-
grcgalion ercclcd thi' church at (ih)be Avenne and lOasI 'IMiirt.v-lirst
sired, South Lorain. Uw. J{ala Uasso, tlie lirsL pastor, was succei'ded
by Revs. Alexander Ludman and Stephan Virag. The church member-
ship is about 200.
348 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Trinity Baptist Cnuucii
Trinity Baptist Cliurc-h reprcKcnts ratlicr a small orf^aiiizatinii of
lliat (Iciioiiiiiiation, organized in 1909 as tlic South Lorain l>aptist
f'imi'eli, and tlicro may bo otlicr modest, l)nt faillif'iil, religious bodies,
wliieli l)otli spaee and laek of informal ion iiuist j)ass over witlioiit men-
tion, l)iit with good wishes.
CHAPTER XVIII
UPLIFTING FORCES
The Press — The Black River Commercial — The Lorain jMonitor —
The Lorain Times-IIerald — The Lorain Daily News — The Post
— Upliftjno Societies — Lor.un's Young Wen's Christian Associa-
tion — Woman's Christian Temperance Union — The Sisterhood
oE Lorain — Social Settlement Association — Literary Clubs —
The .Making op American Citizens — Musical Organizations —
Federation oe Women's Societies — The Associated Charities —
St. Josei'h's Hospital — Lodges and Fraternities.
The piTss of Lorain, despite the fact that since its birth about thirty-
seven years ago it has experieiieed numerous changes and the usual
run of retarding experiences, has been a strong force in the progress
and uplift of the village and city. Undoubtedly, one reason why the
newspajjer field there has not been as encouraging to enterprising news-^
paper men and women as some otiier localities in Northern Ohio is
because of tlie large foreign element in the local population. That,
coupled with llie fact that much of tlic wealth upon which the news-
paix'i-s depend for their advertising patronage, is concentrated in a few
large industries, tend rather to contract the field of operations. Under
the circumstances, the pul)lications which have been issued from the
Lorain oftices have been most creditable and helpful to the reading and
the progressive elements of the community, which are already strong
and constantly expanding.
The Black River Commercial
Tile initial number of the above-named newspaper, the father of the
local ])rcss, was issued ]\Tay 8, 187;^, by II. A. I'^isher, at Black River;
wliicli was llic year bel'oic the incorporation of the settlement by that
name as the Village of (Miarleslon. The Commercial was a five-column
quarto — Imns, $1.50 a year. On the following '.id of July its form was
changed to an eight-colnmu folio, and on the ISlli of Seplember it was
;549
350 HISTORY OK LOIJAIN COUNTY
I'f'cliiccd to six columns. On tlic 8tli oi" Jjuiiiiiry, lS74,.it. was restored
to an eifi'lit-coliiiiiii folio, wilii j)ateiil, outside |)af,'es, and on liie ninth oi'
tile foliowinf^ May, about a nionlli al'liT tin; first villa{.,'e election, its
size was increased to nine coluniiis. 'I'iu; editor and proprietor was evi-
dently "feeling out" tlio coniinunity to see how much of a Coniinercial
it would sustain, but discontinued its venture at Charleston on the 12th
of September, 1874, "for want of adequate support." ]\Ir. Fisher then
moved liis plant to Elyria and commenced the publication of the Elyria
Republican.
The Lorain iMonitor
No other venture in the local tick! was made until 1879, when the
Lorain Monitor was issued by Lawlcr & JJrady. It was a small five-
column folio, witli ])atent "outsides. " From its modest start was
evolved the Times-IIerald of today.
The Lorain Times-IIerald
The Lorain Times-IIerald, which represents the second local news-
paper venture, has been tireless in pushing along the business, industrial
and higher interests of the diverse communities which make the place
.so noteworthy ; and right liere the editor of this work wishes to acknowl-
edge his indebtedness to that publication for many of the facts which
are woven into the chapters devoted to the history of Lorain. Its various
anniversary editions have been found of great help — in fact, almost
invaluable.
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Lorain
Times-IIerald by the establishment of the Lorain Daily Times in Novem-
ber, 1879, Frederick A. Rowley, then its editor and proprietor, issued a
special "silver edition," packed with interesting matter, both current
and historical.
These are the graphic paragraphs which relate to the founding of
tile Times: "Looking back now to that day, November 6, 1879, when
two boys left their studies at Oberlin and, coming down to Lorain, found
Irving Lawler and his brother, Eddie, at work in the jMonitor office, it
seems almost impossible that so much could have happened in twenty-
five years. The office of the Monitor was in a wooden l)uilding at the
corner of Erie avenue; and Broadway. Upstairs in the Vernam Hlock
it was, and Irving was bustling about getting the i)aper ready lo ])rint.
lie and lOddie were both setting tyjx' out of the same case, or, at least,
fliey often did tluit. 'i'iie Oberlin Itoys sei'utini/.ed the .Monitor ollice
' MO Yr
i'tT '•m ;:•'' "in nH
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 351
very critically, and were not long in making it known that they wei'c
li'ving to break into liie ii('\vsi)aper hnwiness. Irving sent lOddie ont
ior I'ii Lavvier, and in an lionr or so a deal was closed for the purchase
of the Monitor at the price of three hundred dollars for the whole outfit.
"Tile Oberlin 'boys went home, gave up their books and transplanted
themselves from the classic influences of Oberlin to the more sturdy and
strenuous life in Lorain. The office was soon moved to two rooms over
A. n. liabcock's grocery store, two doors north on Broadway. There,
in a poorl^'-lighted upstairs room, with an Army pres.s, a small lot of
much-worn type and a little 5x7 Golding jol) press, the business of the
Times was" conducted during the winter of 1879-80. The Oberlin boys
slept in the office, occupying a room barely large enough for the bed and
so cold they had to lay up very close together at night to keep from freez-
ing. ISo the winter' i)assed. Hardly enougli iiioney was taken in to pay
Aunt Eunice, at Uncle AVilliam Jones', the board for two hungry young
editors. It was a severe lesson in the practical responsibilities of life,
but it was worth all it cost. The many difficulties overcome at that time
siiowed that obstacles can be surmounted. That has been the history
of tlie paper. It has had the spirit of a winner from the start and sonie-
liow it has coiKjuered, often when it seemed that there was nothing but
defeat to be expected."
The Weekly Herald was established in 1892, and the first num1)er
of the Evening Herald was issued May 22, 189-1.
In li)01 a con.solidation was effected under the iiresent title of the
Lorain Times-Herald. The present editor and manager is C. A. Rowley,
son of Frederick A. Rowley, and the paper is published by the F. A.
Rowley Estate. '
The Lorain Daily News
The Lorain Daily News was founded in 1888, and has always been
a democratic paper. In September, 1900, the Daily Democrat was issued
under the ownership of the Democrat Publishing Company. F. II. King
and Jacob IMeyer were prominently interested in the enterprise. There
were a number of changes in the proprietor.ship and editorship of both
publications, the business becomiiig much involved. The News-Democrat,
as the consolidation was called, has been for some time the Lorain Daily
News. It is published by the Lorain Democrat Company and J. W.
Spaiilding is etlitor.
The Post
1'h(! Post is an in(le])endent Oerman newspa])('r, established in 1S94,
the year that Lorain was incorporated as a city. It is edited by Louis
Alaui'cr and i)ul)lished by tlh; Loi-ain Democrat (Company.
352 inSTOIiV OF I.OliAIN COUNTY
Ul'MKTINa HOCIKTIKS
A review of the cliaritahle, l)eri(;voleii1,, social and literary (ields in
Lorain is a hazardous and complex task, as, with the best of intentions,
the writer cannot do full justice to the subject. Neither time, strength
or space at command can be applied to bring out all the details fully
illustrative of the broad work being accomplished by strong and high-
minded men and women in a rapidly growing community composed of
so many distinctive elements. Connected with the numerous churches
are hundreds of societies, working as their auxiliaries, and ceaselessly
active in labors of charity, benevolence and general uplift.
In addition, there are such undenominational forces in action as the
Young Men's Christian Association, the Associated Charities, the Sister-
hood and the Lorain Federation of Women's Societies and scores of
secret and lienevolent organizations. The Fedei-ation itself covers the
activities of nearly tifty societies, each standing for some special form
of charitable, reformatory or intellectual work.
LoR.Mx's Young IMen's Ciiristi.\n Association
One of the oldest of these general forces operating for good is the
Young ^Men's Christian Association, organized in the fall of 1897, soon
after the starting of the steel plant at South Lorain. Although it is
conducted under the world-familiar plan of tliat body it was primarly
founded for the benefit of the steel workers.
Soon after the estalilishment of the steel plant at South Lorain by
the Johnson Company, the question of a elul) house for its men was
agitated. After careful consideration, IM. M. Suppes, the general man-
ager, bf'came convinced that the Young ]Men's Christian As.sociation
' was the most desirable form of organization for the purpose. The mat-
ter was laid before the state association, but the officers hesitated to
organize sucli a work in an entirely untried field. So persistent was
Mr. Suppes, however, that the task of securing subscriptions was finally
undertaken. This was in the fall of 1897, and notwithstanding the fact
that it Avas a time of great financial depression, there was a liberal
response from the business corporations and citizens of Lorain and
Elyria. The sum of $15,000 was secured. The largest individual con-
tributors were A. J. IMoxbam and lion. Tom L. Johnson, wlio each gave
!|>1,000. Two lots on 'i\iilii Avcnu(>, near the general office, were given
l)y the Sheffield Land (!ompany.
The initial movement which resulted in llie founding of the Y. M.
C. A. originated in llie desire of llie National Tube ol'licinls to establish
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 353
night classes for mill einployos. The idea was given impetus from
various dircclious, and witiiiii a short time 0. (J. Colton, now of Fort
('olliiis, ('olorado, was chosi'ii as lirst s('(;n!tary, with an ahh^ assistant
in John llclincr, as physical director. F. A. Siiiythc! was j)resid(Mit of
tlio (irst y. iM. C. A. oilieial board.
in the spring of 1898 the present structure was erected at an approxi-
mate cost of .$30,000. The membersliip that time was 434. Immediately
tile membership grew, and the scope of the association widened. New
features were introduced and an etfort made to make the local institu-
tion the equal of any of its size. That has been accomplished.
The member.ship enrollment in li)15 was about 750, with prospects
of steady increase.. The debt on the building has been decreased rapidly.
Tile National Tube Company contributes a substantial amount each
monlh toward running expenses.
One of the most interesting features of the association's work is the
educational classes. The enrollment in the night school averages over
2t)() men, a majority of whom are in the English classes. These men
are jirincipally employes of the National Tube Company, American
.Shipl)uil<ling Company and the Thew Automatic Shovel Company. The
subjects taught aside from English are: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry,
trigonometiy, mechanical drawing, electricity, steam engineering, and
sheet metal drawing.
In the physical department there was a total attendance on class
nights during the year of nearly 6,000. The work of this department
sliows up si)lendidly. I\luch interest is manifested in tennis, Sunday
school, l)aseball leagues, and the National Tube Industrial Baseball
League.
Tlie social side of the work is not at all neglected. Receptions,
entertainments, dinners, lectures, concerts are all in the yearly curri-
culum. The Woman's Auxiliary plans and successfully executes many
social affairs. Plea.sant reading rooms add to this feature.
Tile religious phase of the association is naturally developed exten-
sively. Esi)ecially fruitful is the work done among the boys. Home
l{il)le classes have been organized and every effort made to emphasize
the importance of ciiaracter-building. The M. and M. Club, or Mush
and Milk Club, is an effective organization, formed of men banded
together for the purpose of helping to develop and promote religious
woi'k. There are twenty mendjcrs.
Since the oix-ning of the industrial Depai'tment numerous foreign
speaking men liav(( been aided in seiniring naturalization papers. Dur-
ing the year the South Lorain branch of the Public Library circulated
neariv i:i,000 books.
354 HISTORY OF LORAliN COUNTY
The association building is located on Kast Twenty-eighth Street near
Pearl Avenue. The slnicture eonlaiiis tw(!iity-two rooms, including
ofliccs, reading rooins, asscinhly rooms, class rooms, billiard and pool
rooms, gymnasium, swimming pool, bath, lockor rooiris, social rooms,
dark rooms and kitchen.
The building is built of mottled pressed brick and is of colonial
architecture. On ent<iring one finds himsell' in a reception hall, which
is the key to the entire building. This contains the office and liln-ary.
At one end is a large fireplace, where a cheerful wood fire is kept burn-
ing whenever the weather demands it. Off the reception hall opens the
public reading room for men, the games, music and boys' room. The
reading room is large, well lighted, and supplied with about sixty of
the best publications. The gymnasium occupies an annex in the rear.
It is 38 by 58 feet, and 20 feet high. It is well lighted and ventilated.
It contains a gallery and ruiming track, and is well equipped. The
basement contains the bath and locker rooms. The former i.s. supplied
with hot and cold shower, needle and sponge baths. The swimming
pool is one of the finest in the state. It is 40 by 16 feet, and is grad-
uated from four to six feet in depth. It is lined witli white tile, and
is filled with filtered lake water, which is tempered throughout the year.
The locker room contains 200 lockers for the use of the members. The
second floor, which is reached from the reception room, contains the
assembly hall, seating 200 persons, a committee room, kitchen and
pantry. By sliding curtains it is possible to divide the as.sembly hall
into three class rooms for the use of the educational department. The
board of trustees in control of the local body is composed of the follow-
ing members: D. W. Lawrence, president; Isaac Ilonecker, vice presi-
dent; James A. Long, recording secretary; W. A. Davies, treasurer;
Dr. W. S. Baldwin, D. A. Cook, Dr. D. B. Donaldson, E. II. Eddy, A. C.
Eldredge, J. II. Evans, W. C. Fisher, H. li. Henes, E. M. Pierce, II. D.
Townsend and W. J. Wright. The local executive force comprises the
following: W. H. Coleman, general secretary; II. Darnell Brittin,
physical director; Henry V. Laseh, assistant secretary.
The Women's Auxiliary of the Y'oung ]\Ien's Christian Association
was organized in February, 1911, since which it has been of material
assistance in not only conducting social activities but in raising funds
for the current expenses of the main body.
Wom.\n's CiiRisTi.AN Temi'khanck Union
The women of Lorain, fis of the world, have always been foremost
in works of relief, charily and S(M'ial I'eform. One of their pioneer
•4 ,99n'yiv/mt .V/" .(T ca
HISTORY OV l.ORAIN (JOUjNTY ;{55
.soi'iclics, still ;ictivc, is tlic loeiil l)raii('li of tliu Woinim's Ciivistian Ti'iu-
jxTiiiice lljiiuii, whic'li was formed about 1876. An offslioot of the
]iaiciil luxly was oi'gaiii/x'd in 1!)1U in lliu Steel JMant JJistrict of Soiitli
Jjorain.
The Sisteruood of Lorain
It was twenty years after the founding of the W. C. T. U. at Lorain,
in l^'ebruary, 189G, that the local Sisterhood was formed. From the
outset of its work, the Sisterhood has faithfully followed its prescribed
course, although the scope of its activities has broadened and its labors
intensitied, with the growth of the communities in which its members
have become so beloved. The aiding of widows is the prinuiry ol)ject of
the Sisterliood, although entire families are often assisted when the
heads of the households are ill or otherwise helpless. Scores of children
are also kept in the public schools by being clothed and properly nour-
ished. The first officers of the organization were: ]\Irs. E. 'M. Pierce,
l)resident; ^Irs. Samuel Klein, vice president; Mrs. John Root, treasurer;
Mrs. IL J. Barrows, secretary. The membei-ship of the Sisterhood is
over 100.
Social Settlement Association
Tile Lorain Social Settlement Association is an organization more
restricted in its work than the Sisterhood. The movement started as a
day nursery in the Steel Plant District and several girls' clubs were
connected with it. In May, 1910, a visiting nurse was called from
Cleveland, and the Social Settlement Association was organized with
these officers: ^Irs. E. M. Pierce, president; ]\Irs. 11. C. Burrell, first
vice president ; ]\Irs. N. E. Davis, second vice president ; Mrs. John Colib,
secretary ; :\Irs. E. M. Ransom, treasurer. The association has had as
many as 150 families on its list at one time, to which it was extending
aid in various forms.
In the charitable work carried on by these two leading organizations,
]\Irs. E. ]\1. Pierce and Mrs. II. C. Burrell have been especially promi-
nent.
Literary Clubs
l^orain has a number of flourishing literary organizations, devoted to
the presentation and discussion of intellectual and social topics. The
first of these clubs, which ha.s a successor, was with the Clnysantiiomum,
fonned in IHflf), and reorganized in 1f)02 as Sorosis. Mrs. l'\ H. Vernam
I ■)iiA :S •■■< : [:
:i if {••:n-iM
356 HISTORY OF LOKAfN COUNTY
was long its president. Tlie Wiinodaughsis Club was organized in 1896,
and united with the Lakeside Foderation in 1901 and with tlie State
Federation in 1905. The Round Table cairie into existence in 1898, the
East Side Literary Club in 1902, and the University Club in 1909 ; and
there are doubtless others, as well as fifty or sixty social organizations,
such as sewing societies, bridge clubs, girls' clubs, mothers' clubs and
afternoou clubs.
The ]\Lvking op American Citizens
In South Lorain, it is said that there are fully fifty societies, organ-
ized entirelj^ by foreigners. xMniost every nationality in the city is
represented by a soeiety. After being in America a long enough time
to become acquainted to some degree with American customs and
language, the foreigner, American-like, frequently joins an organiza-
tion of his own nationality. These societies or clubs, hold regular meet-
ings ami entertainments, to which are often invited as guests and speak-
ers many of the English speaking citizens of the cit}'. Many excellent
entertainments and musicals have been given in this city through the
medium of these societies. Almost every society has its own Jmnd.
It can be said witli truth tiuit the majority of nou-AmerieaixS desire
to become American citizens, iietween them and tlieir dc^sire stands
the process of naturalization, which, however easy of attainment it may
seem to the casual observer, is nevertheless a barrier requiring much
honest effort to surmount. INfany are surmounting it each year, and
many are trying to surmount it year after year. The recpiirement is
an examination, to pass which means months of patient study. Twice
each year examinations for prospective citizens are held at the court-
house in Elyria. The exaiuiiiatiou consists of a list of questions covering
the family history of the applicant and the physical history of the United
States. Before he can apply for citizenship, a foreigner nuist have
made the United States his home for three years.
Classes for instruction in work necessary to pass the tests are eon-
ducted throughout the city. The Y. ]\I. C. A. gives instructions and
private classes are organized. After obtaining his papers a foreigner
is no longer a foreigner, but is authorized to take part in municipal and
govenniiental affairs to as full an extent as a native l)orn American. In
coming yeai's, the number of those taking advantage of the [)rivilegfs
will prdliably increase I'cgularly.
Musical Oijganiz.vtions
Of late years quite a number of musical organizations have been
foniicd iu Lorain, among wliicli luav be mentioned the Musical Society,
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 357
the Lorain Male Chorus, the Festival Oi-chcstra, the ]\Ieii(lelssolin Trio
and the South Lorain Quartette. Among tlie individuals wiio have
hecn prominent in the musieal devcloj)meiit of tlu; place are named
Grillitli J. Jones, N. E. ]''ox, Edward Kieler and Iloraee Whitehouse.
Federation op Women's Societies
In 1914 two organizations were formed at Lorain for the purpose
of consolidating the charitahle, social and literary activities of the city.
In January of that year representatives from thirty-six of the women's
societies met at the Hoard of Commerce rooms and organized the Lorain
Federation of Women's Societies; about a score have since 1)een added
to the membership. Its aims, as announced through olficial literature,
are stated thus: "As members of the Lorain Federation we aim to use
our united strength to obtain better homes, better schools, better sur-
roundings, better citizenship and better laws. To work together for
civic health and civic righteousness, and to preserve our heritage, the
forests and natural beauties of the land, to procure for our children an
education which fits them for life — the training of hand and heart, as
well as the head ; to prevent the children of our own being deprived of
their birthriglit of natural childhood ; to obtain conditions and proper
safeguards lor women who toil."
The Federation ofificers in 1915 were: President, ]\Irs. Regina
Llewellyn; first vice president, ^Irs. K. J. Veamans; acting vice presi-
dent, .Mrs. Theodore Oehlke ; second vice president, .Mrs. Robert Fried-
man; recording secretary, ]\Irs. A. Z. Prescott; corresponding secretary,
Mrs. W. C. Hayes; auditor, "Mm. Joseph Gould.
The Associated Charities
In ]\Iarch, 1914, the Associated Cliarities of Lorain was incorporated
as an outgrowth of a small day nursery begun in 1910. The organiza-
tion is governed by a board of fifteen directors elected annually on the
third Monday in January. The officers for 1915 were as follows:
President, L. A. Fauver; secretary, R. li. Patin ; treasurer, F. ]M.
Pierce. The other members of the board of directors were: Mrs. II. C.
liurrell, Mrs. N. M. Fldred, Mrs. Elizabeth Wickens, Mrs. Sam Klein,
Mrs. 'IMioiinis .McGeachie, Mr's. .loseph (Joidd, Miss Harriet U'oot, Mrs.
-loliu ('oi)l), (Jeorgc! (ilitsch, J. II. (Jcrliart, (hisler Snydei- and Frank
Ay res.
In the fall of 1914 the work of the Associated Charities was entirely
reoigani/.ed. Among oilier elianges, Ihe visiling nursing was diseon-
5ro
358 IIlSTOUr OK I.ORAIN (BOUNTY
timifd, as tliat fi-alun; liad boon assuiiicil l)y Uio city. Tlu; Settlfiiioiit
House ami ri'liel" work was placed iu charge of IMiss Ileli-n M. Wright
and lilt! social work intrusted to Miss Winifred Sta'rbird. In the work
of investigation, as a i)recedent to relief; in the care of girl and juvenile
transients, thrown out of work or their lionies; iu the pensiouing of
deserving mothers that they may care for their children at home, and
in the aetual labors incident to material relief, the Associated Charities
has been a local blessing, especially in times of industrial depression.
It is a well-organized central body, with which the various organizations
of the city, whether church or non-sectarian, heartily and generally
co-ojierate.
St. Joseph's Hospital
Although founded ami controlled by the Catholic Church, St.
Joseph's Hospital, located on Penfield Avenue on a four-acre site
between the steel plant and the shipyard, is so generally patronized and
its work of relief is so broad, that its eharacter ims come to be recog-
nized as semi-public. The hospital was established in 1892 by Rev. J.
N. Bihn, now deceased, who also fouiuled the immense St. Francis
Orphan A.sylum and Home for Ageil at Tiffin, Ohio. Facilities were at
first necessarily limited, but new ecpiipment and a more extensive serv-
ice were gradually added.
The grounds now occupy an entire city block bounded by Broad-
way, Twentieth and Twenty-first streets and Reid Avenue. Flanked by
the city's principal street car lines, the locality has the advantage of
easy accessibility.
The hospital buildings consist of main structure of frame construc-
tions, three stories in height, and connected with this, a three story,
prcssed-brick faced annex. The annex is of comparatively recent erec-
tion, the nuiin building liaving been built at the time the hospital was
founded in 1892.
In 1903 the St. Joseph's Training School for Nurses was established
in connection with the hospital. The course requires three years and
includes general, medical and .surgical nursing, also ophthalmic and
gynecological nursing. The class of graduates from the school has never
been less tluin two, and last year reached seven.
The Ladies' Auxiliary of the hospital has been a great instrument
of heli)fulness. The ladies, who number at present about 100, have
regular meetings at which hospital sewing is attended to and a.ssistanco
rendered in any possible way.
To tlie medical slalV of the inslitnlion belong many of the city's lead-
tufH
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 359
ijig i)liysicia)is. Tlie staff was oftittially organized in 1001. The various
l)liy.si('iaiis arc aswigiicd to liilVcn'nt depart iiiciils, MHidieal, Hurgi(;al and
eye and ear. 'I'lie oh.jeet oi" llic .stall' is to attend to (tliarity paticwits and
to inerea.se tlie lielpfnlness of tlie hospital by liie eond)ined professional
adviee.
The present superioress is Sister JNIary Pius, her predeeessor, for
many years, having been Mother Superior Seraphine. About seventy
patients are now (1916) in care of the Sisters.
Lodges and Fraternities
Lorain is well represented by various lodges and fraternities, out-
side of tlie foreign section in South Lorain. A local statistician places
the eonibiued uieinbership at fully 10,000. The same authority gives
the JMasons priority as an order, the combined membership of their
sewn bodies estal)lished at Lorain being over 1,300. The Knights of
Pythias, with the Pythian Sisters, come next, nearly 1,000 strong; then
the Knights and Ladies of the Maccabees, over 760, and the Odd Fellows
(including the Rebekahs), more than 600. The largest individual organ-
izations are Lorain Aerie of Eagles, with a membership of over 700;
the Lorain Lodge of IMasons (No. 552), about 425; the IMoose Lodge, 400,
and Lorain Tent No. 1, Knights of the ^Maccabees, 370 or more. There
are about 500 members connected with the railroad unions and brother-
hoods, Knights of Columl)us, Royal Neighbors, and the Elks, Woodmen,
Red J\len, Tribe of Ben Hur, Protected Home Circle, and Royal Arcanum
have also growing organizations.
t-.UiU'JliV i>)i
CHAPTER XIX
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF ELYRIA
The Village in 1833 — The Elywa High School — First District
Schools — Board of Education Formed — Jason Canfield, First
Superintendent — Public High School. Building Erected — Com-
plete Curriculum Adopted — First High School Guaduates —
Other School Events of the 'GOs — Board of Education Speaks
Its ]\1ind — Construction of School Buildings — ]\Ianial Training
and Technical High School — The Social Settlement SchooIj — •
Enrollment of Pupils and Teachers — The Public Library — Pro-
tection Against FiRJi — Increase in Elyria's Population — Public
Improvements — The Elyria Chamber op Commerce — Civic Im-
provement — Legislation — ]\Iunicipal Sanitation and Public
Health.
When Elyria was incorporated as a village on the 23d of February,
1833, it had been the county seat of Lorain County since the independent
civil organization of the latter in 1824. It had been a postoftiee for
fifteen years.
The Village in 1833
The first little court house and jail graced the public square donated
by Heman Ely. He and Artemas Beebe (with his hotel, stage line and
general store) were the leading citizens of the place. Quite a number
of small business houses were around the square, including the store
of Thompson Miles and the harness and saddlery shop of Ezra S. Adams,
who was also in partnership with I\lr. Beebe in the operation of the
line of stage coaches> between Cleveland and Sandusky. Tliere were
thirty or forty houses scattered over the village site lying l)et\veen the
branches of Black River, and three churches had been organized by the
four or five hundred people witliin the village limits and in the imme-
diate neighborhood.
The Presbyterians had been organized for nearly ten years, while
the ]\Ietliodists and Disciples of Christ were in their infancy, but filled
360
HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
361
with zeal and ambition. Altliough the Masons, had formed a lodge as
early as 1819, the result of the Morgan agitation was to make it a{lvisal)le
to sns])en(l its operations from ]H2H to 1848, so that in tlie year of the
vilhige incorjjoration (183.'5) it was in a state of sus|)endetl animation.
The EhYRiA High School
Among the most flourishing institutions of that day was the P^lyria
High School. It was under private control and instruction, it is true,
but for about twenty years answered some of the best purposes of a
First Fk.vme House in Elykia
public school. From 1827 to 1850 a number of private schools were
conducted at Elyria, but the high school was tlie most notal)le and drew
to itself not a few instructors who afterward became well known in a
broader province of education.
The Elyria High School Avas under the management of a board of
trustees. In 1831 Ilcman Ely had erected a building at tlie rear of
the Methodist Churcli, between Hroad and Second .streets, and leased
the l)uilding and the land to the trustees of tlie Elyria High School for
a term of years.
Rev. John Monteith was called to take charge of the first class as
organized, being assisted by bis wife iind Miss Mary lOells. Tbe com-
mon branches were taugiit, as well as advanced studies. J. II. I^'airchild
and his brother, E. H. Faircbild, long afterward presidents, respect-
•M2 lIlSTOHr OF LORAIN COUNTY
ively, of Oberlin College, Ohio, and Berea College, Kentucky, pursued
preparatory courses at the Klyria High School.
Mr. and Mrs. Jiranch, Dr. A. Ji. Jirown and wife, Kev. John I'.
Cowles (afterward professor in Oberlin College), and Luther M. Oviatt,
successively had the management of the high school.
.After retiring from the Elyria High School i\Ir. IMonteith, assisted
by his wife, opened a school at his own house, and Rev. David A.
Grosvenor, of the Presbyterian Church, established a girls' school in a
building on East Third Street formerly occupied by that denomination.
First District Schools
But the tax-payers demanded something more democratic than such
private institutions, creditable though they were, and almost a jjublic
necessity until the community had reached such a condition of material
stability that public schools could be supported on a scale demanded
by the intelligence of the place.
In the spring of 184G a meeting of the voters of School District
No. 1 was called to vote a tax of itil,O()0, to be used in the building of a
public school for that section of the county. The vote was against the
proposition, but as many were dissatisfied with the outcome a bill was
passed through tiie Legislature dividing the school district into Nos.
1 and 9.
In the winter of 1846-47 meetings were held in the district named,
and each voted a tax of $1,000 for the erection of a public schoolhouse
within its own territory. During the following season the stone school-
house on the corner of East Avenue and Third Street was erected for
No. 1 and a brick building in the west part of the village for No. 9.
Board op Education Formed
The Akron school law of 1847, and the general state law passed
February 21, 1849, wluch incorporated its main provisions and specially
provided "for the better regulation of public schools in cities and
towns," had a stiinulating eiVect upon the citizens of Elyria. In May,
1850, they were largely represented in the meeting at the courthouse
at which they voted to reorganize the local s(!liools under the general
law. Under its provisions, an election was held on the 8lh of June,
]Hr)0, at which the following were (thosen the; first board of education
of Elyria: E. DeWitt and 0. Cowles, three years; M. W. I'ond and
Tabor Wood, two years, and C. S. Coodwiii and 1'. ('. Dolley, one year.
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
•66'i
Jason Canfiei,d, First Superintendent
III Oetolicr, IHoO, .Jusoii (laiiMcId was calli'd to tako cliarj^i; of llie
Elyria union seliools, vvhicli then consisted of tlic stone; and hfick liouses
erected in 1847, in the east and west parts of the village; an interme-
diate, or secondary school, and a high school, both of the latter being
taught in the old Elyria High School Building erected by Mr. Ely
nearly twenty years previously. Thus was the local system fairly estab-
lished.
Oed Union Sciiooe op 1857
In 1853 another department was organized, making three below the
high school, which was taught in the old "session room," previously
used for religious, judicial and educational purposes.
Public High School Building Erected
The first high school building erected by the village was completed
in 1857 and stood between IMiddle and West avenues. It was first
occupied by the high, grammar and secondary grades in the winter of
1858, and tlie old Ely High Seliool and the "session room" were aban-
doned.
Complete Curriculum Adopted
At a meeting of the l)oard of education held November 17, 1859, a
coni-sc of study for all the departments was adopted. In tiie grades
3G4 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
below the liigU school provision was made for instruction in reading,
si)elling, writing, drawing, vocal music, iiritlimetic, geography, grammar,
comj)osition, diM-lamation, pliysioiogy. United States history and morals.
A regular tliree years' course of study was arranged for tlie high sciiool,
with an optional fourtii year. Upon completing the full course of four
years, the pupil was entitled to a diploma, signed by the president and
members of the board, the superintendent and examining conunittee — a
document, certainly, which should have been fully binding and weighty.
FiKST High School Graduates
The first regular class which graduated from the high school con-
sisted of Lydia A. Ball, Beza N. Boynton and Henrietta ('. Scliail)ly,
and they went forth in 18G:5. The four graduates of 18()1. wlio had
completed but a partial course, were Cyrus Y. Durand, Thankful D.
Boynton, Frances AV. Sanford and Louise Terrell.
Otiiek School Events of the 'GOs
AVhat were long known as the East and West Side primary schools
of the Elyria union scliools, were formerly Sul)-distriets Nos. 2 and 6
of the township system. These were assumed l)y the Elyria School
Board in April, 1864.
At a meeting of that body held in September, 1867, the local cor.rses
of study were again revised. A set of rules was also adopted regulating
the meetings of the board and specifying the duties of its memliers, as
well as those of superintendent, teachers and pupils.
Board of Education Speaks Its IMind
The following suggestive message went forth, at the same time, from
the board of education as a body: "Public schools are expensive. They
cost the young people a great deal of valuable time. They co.st teachers
and other friends of education a great deal of labor and care. They
cost tax-payers a good deal of money. But schools are worth all they
cost. No community can aflt'ord to do without them. It is cheaper to
support schools and churches than penitentiaries and infirmaries. Free
public schools are the palladium of liberty. Universal education is the
surety for the perinanency of free institutions. Every good citizen
feels a direct interest, in the prosperity and efficiency of scliools, and
should also feel a jx-rsonal responsibility Ihci-efor. Good schools arc
not only worth what they cost; they are worth uiulei'standing and
^Ui
HISTORY OF LOHAIN COUNTY
3G5
caring for. The best way to know them is to go and see them. Anyone
may h-ai'n more about sdiools by visiting tlicm a U'W iioiu's, than liy
much ianlt-liiiding with the Icaifhers and the Hoard of Kdncation."
CoNSTKUCTION.Ot^ SCIIOOL BuiLDINGS
In 1868 the board added a two-story wing to tlie higii school l)uilding,
to provicK' for tlie increasing nmnber of pupils, and in ]87() made
anotiier revision of the curriculum. Tliere has never been a time since
that tlie boards and the superintendents, principals and teachers, havo
not striven to the limit of their strength and ability for 'the improvement
PoKTioN OF Elvria IIigii Sciiool
of the public system of education, with the result that Elyria's standing
as an educator is remarkably high. The development of its high school
has been especiallj' notewoi'thy.
In 1875 the board commenced the erection of a school building west
of that occupied by the high school, fronting on Sixth Street, it being
occupied in the fall of 1877. This made the fourteenth school in what
was then known as the Union School District.
With the incori)oi'atioii of KJyria as a city in 1892, tlu; local system
of public cducalion was I'corgani/ed and consolidated.
With the exception of the Ritlge Street School, which is the oldest
building now in us(!, the structures in Klyria devoted to public education
are comjtai-atively new; that is, so Muiny additions have been made; to
366 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
the original buildings tliat most of them have effectually covered old-
time features.
The old Elyria Iligli Sehool, on Sixth Street and ^Middle Avenue
(the Franklin Building), was burned about twenty years ago, and
finally rebuilt as a thirteen-room structure. At first it contained all
the public school grades, but the growing attendance at length over-
fiowed into the Lincoln School Building which had been erected on adja-
cent grounds.
.M.VNUAL ThAINING AND TECHNICAL lliGH SCUUOL
In i^lay, 11)15, was completed the magnificent three-story building
connected by corridors with tlie earliei' striictui-c, known as the ^laniuil
Training and Technical High School. It contains thirty rooms, iiiulud-
ing a fine auditorium and the moilern facilitii'S to completi- a four
years' practical course in wood, i)attern and cabinet work; molding,
casting and printing; dressmaking and millinery, and the arts and
crafts generally. Academie courses are i)Ursued«in the older portion
of the institution, eollectively known as the high school, wliieh also
contains lunch rooms, physical and chemical lalioratorics, and anotiier
auditorium.
The other scliools included in the present system are as follows:
The Hamilton School, on ]\liddle Avenue and Thirteenth Street, built
fifteen years ago as a four-room house; four rooms were adiled in li)()7,
and another four in l!)l;}.
On East River Street is the ^McKinley School of twelve rooms com-
pleted a decade ago. In 11)14 the Garforil Building, still farther east,
provided four rooms for the overflow from the .MeKinley.
In 1914 the Gates Sclioolhouse was ei-ecfed on Lake Avenue, being
a handsome three-story building taking the place of an old structure.
Its auditorium is large and modern.
The Jefferson School, on Jelfcrson and Foster avenue, fartliei' north,
is about a dozen years old, although a large addition was made to it
five years ago. It is a ten-room liouse.
The veteran of them all, the Ridge Street Sclioolhouse, was orig-
inally a little two-room affair, and two years ago four rooms were added,
nuiking it (juite respectable in size and adequate for the re(|uired
accommodations.
TllK SOCIAI, SlCTTLKMrCNT SCHOOL
One of tlie new schools is that erected on the Western Heights of
Mlyria for the foreign children who are llicre (|uilc largely ri'|)rcscntc(l ;
HISTORY OP LOKAIN COUNTY 367
it is gonenilly known as the Social Settlement Scliool. The two-story
building rei)resenting its many interesting features was ereuted by the
county, but tlie kindergartcji and night classes Tor the instruction of
tljose too young or too old to ])ursue the reguhir day courses provided,
are supported by the city board of education.
Enrollment of Pui'ir^s and Teachers
Altogether, tlie enrollment of pupils in the public school system of
Elyria numbered about 3,000 late in li)15. Of that number some 600
were high school scholars, wlio were instructed by a corps of twenty-tive
teachers, and scattered among the other schools of the city were more
tlian 100 instructors.
The Public Library
Elyria is indebted for its public library to Charles A. Ely, a son of
the judge, who was born May 2, 1829, and died September 30, 18C4.
Ilis early life was spent in iiis native village, and he became a well
known business man, meclianic and manufacturer. lie was also a man
of unusual mental gifts and high ideals. In 1850 ]\lr. Ely married
Louisa C. Foot, of Cleveland, who was deeply interested in the library
project and materially assisted her husl)and in its furtherance.
A codicil to Mr. Ely's will, added in 1857, contained a bequest which
conveyed the site of the present library or Ely Block, with the building
then standing upon it, to five trustees named in the instrinnent. The
e.xecutor was also directed to pay $5,000 to them as a book fund for
immeiliate vise and t|ilO,000 as a permanent fund, the income only of
which was to lie applied to li1)rary purjioses. These provisions were
carried into efl'ect soon after "Sir. Ely's death in 1864.
The trustees named in the will were : Dr. Norton S. Townshend, Ile-
inan Ely, Ilarwood ]M. Redington, George Olmstead and Prof. James
]\Ionroe, the last named on the faculty of Oberlin College. As I\lr. Mon-
roe could not act, Hon. John C. Ilale was appointed to fill the vacancy.
The trustees immediately entered upon their work, the building was
fitted for library purposes, 2,000 volumes were purchased and on June
10, 1870, the public was admitted to its privileges. The event was cele-
liratcd at the courthouse, tlie e.\ercises including addresses by Doctor
Townshend and other trustees and leading citizens.
A disastrous fire oceurrinl on Maix-h 15, 1873, by which the building
and library were virtually consumed. Only 375 of tlie, 4,000 volumes
then in tlie lilirary were saved. There was a small insurance on the
368 HISTORY OF I.OKAIN COUNTY
building, which, with an additional sum, provided a rebuilding fund.
Portions of tlio block were occupied in May, 1874, but the library was
not I'copencd until .July 2^)\\\ following. It .si ill occupies the second
floor of the building and is well patronized.
Protection Against Fike
Elyria enjoys ade(|uate protection against fire both through its local
department and its large nuiincii)al pumping station on Lake Erie, a few
miles to the north, where its domestic supply of water is filtered and
softened. Several of the large manufactories have also their special sys-
tems of protection again.st fire. Electric light and power are supplied by
a private corporation, which, as will be seen by an article elsewhere pub-
lished, has given Elyria considerable prominence in that tichl.
Although the lire department of Elyria is eomparatively small, it
has a long history; for in 18:];) the villagers purchased a little hand
engine and organized a volunteer company of thirty men under the
luime of the Aetna Fire Company No. 1. S. W. Baldwin was foreman.
The foregoing was the entire department until 1850, when another hand
engine was purchased and Phoenix Fire Company No. 2, also thirty
men strong, was formed. Then a hook and ladder eompany was added,
and soon after the tire of .March, IHT.i, a steam fire engine was purchased
from the famous factory at Seneca Falls, New York. Sufficient hose
and two hose carts, with other auxiliaries of what was then eonsidered
modern, were also bought, under the .stress of the tire panie, until the
village authorities had expended .$6,750. The first officers of the first
tire engine were as follows: John T. Houghton, ehief engineer; John
Ilufner, assistant engineer; Charles S. Bird, engineer; John ;\I. Tite,
fireman. The foregoing are the main facts eonnccted with the founding
of the Elyria Fire Department. It now comprises three efficient com-
panies with apparatus to meet all requirements.
Inckease IX Eia'ria's Population
Prom 1830 toi about 1870 Elyria was chiefly known as the .seat of
justice of Ivorain County and a town who.se general trade with the sur-
rounding country was large. It grew slowly, but substantially. Until
lS(i() no census of its poi)idation was taken apart fi'oni that of the town-
ship, but in that year the natioiud enumerators gave it as 1,()13.
In 1850, the construction of the Lake Shore & ^lichigan Southern
(as the Junction Railroad) was commenced and, as completed, furnished
Elvria with an east and west outlet, thus greatly expanding the field of
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY ^69
licr actual activities and also her ambition. In 18(i(J was opened the
line to Toh'do, via Norwalk and Oherlin, and in 1872, the ClevoUxnd,
Loi'ain & Wlieelin^' Ifailroad {,'ave lOlyiia aeeess hoth lo Lake Krie and
the Oliio Ivivci- rc;^ions.
Ly 1870, under tlie earlier railroad stimulus, the j)opulati()n of Hlyria
had increased to 3,038 and in 1880, to 4,777. In 18<)0 the figures were
5.(ill: in 1900, 8,791; in 1910, 14,825, and the estimate for 1916 is
17,000.
I'UULIC ImI'KUVKMKNTS
Especially within the past twenty years has Eiyria made great
progress in everything which stands for the life of a typical American
city. Its streets have been widened and paved ; a complete system of sani-
tary sewerage established, comprising thirty-five miles of sewers; munici-
pal waterworks founded ; modern business blocks and handsome residences
built ; a massive and elegant city hall erected, and a score of large indus-
trial plants established. J\lany of the city churches have been erected
during that period and others improved; and it is doubtful whether
there is any city of its .size in the United States which has a more com-
pete Yonng .Men's Christian Association Uuilding than the massive
structure completed in Eiyria in 1914.
The beautiful memorial monument in the public park, erected to the
soldiers and sailors of Eiyria Township, was completed in the spring of
1888 at a cost of about .+8,000. The contractors were Carabelli & Brog-
gini, of Cleveland, and the township trustees, under whose supervision
the work was completed, Edwin C. Griswold, Levi ]\lorse and Lewis D.
Boynton.
Eiyria has the all-pervading atmosphere of home life and stability.
In fact, there are few cities of its size in the middle ^Vest which have so
small a proportion of that undesirable element known as "the floating
population."
The Elyria Chamber op Commerce
One of the most influential of those in.stitutions which has greatly
contributed to the general advancement of the city is its Chamber of
Commerce, Us membership of over tiOO representing practically every
profession, trade, business and industry within the limits of the cor-
]ioration.
The Eiyria Chamber of Commerce was chartered under tlie laws of
Ohio on January !), 1907. As slafed by one of its founders: "A small
'(f»« t^jI ovfp bcJB Poi?ivi)ue Iwtfi
'.>(jl iii
370
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
body of men were infused witli tlie idea that Elyria needled some or-
ganization whieli might serve as a eiearing house for ideas and as a meet-
ing ground for the business men of the eity, wliere petty diftVn-nees
might bo forgotten in zeal for the eommon interests and the eity's wel-
fare. The first reeord of its mcndx;rsliip diseloses 187 meml)ers. "
Under the plan of organization, the last five ex-presidents constitute
an advisory board or committee, which meets with the directors, Init has
no voting power. The Board of Directors composed of fifteen membera
elected annually, is charged with the real administration of tiie Cliamber.
And acting under and in connection with the directors there are nine
standing committees, composed of from five to nine members, through
View on Broad Street, Elyri.v
whom investigation are carried on, recommendations to the directors
and the Chamber made, and interest in worthy projects aroused.
The best idea of the general work of these committees can be gained
from a brief reference to the work being done by a few of them. The
Good Roads Committee has been ever alive to the need and demand
for improved highways; has been in constant touch with the state
and national organizations working toward tliat end ; and has, for the
past few years, exerted an almost daily and ever effective influence
upon Ihe county and township olliciids williin wliose j)Owci' it was to
do anything for the improvement of tlic roads. It may be said fairly
that the major share of the road improvements in Lorain County are
due directly or indirectly to the interest and activity of tlie Good
Roads Commitlee of \hi'. Chamlx'r of (,'oimiUM-ee.
OTf:
'tiwf l.'»e' fim "io v' '-.'
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 371
The Iiuhi.strial Committi'e of the Cliainber of CoinmercL' iuvesli-
gatos the jnerits of industries seeking to loeate in Elyria and also
seeks to induce desirable plants to establisli tliemselves. Then there
are the ediucational, tlio transportation and the eivie improvement
committees. Tlie last named has been especially active in examining
and exploiting the relative merits of the various municipal mctliods
of sewage and garbage disposal.
Any one who has in any way gained the idea that the Chamber
stood primarily for money making need only consider the various or-
ganizations or instit\itions to which it lias given and is now giving
active support, to learn tliat such is not the fact. Tlie Cliamber was
largely instrumental in the organization, and is still active in tlie sup-
port of the Elyria ^lemorial Hospital ; it was the real starting point
of the campaign for the Yo\nig ]\len's Ciiristian Association; it was
responsible for the organization of the Social Settlement Association;
it proposed and effected the organization of the Associated Cliarities;
while the Chamber in it.self and througli its members is giving prin-
cipal support to every civic organization and charitable institution in
the city.
Civic Imi'rovement
From one of the reports issued by the Chamber the following
paragraphs are taken as fairly illustrative of the nature of the woi'k
accomplished by this progressive body of citizens: "The beauty of
Elyria appeals to the aesthetic eye of the stranger who nuiy come
here to visit or with the idea of seeking a location for an industry. As
soon as a favorable impression is made, the industrial value of Elyria
is enhanced.
"Special action has been taken in many individual cases in induc-
ing property owners to clean up their premises.
"Influence brought to bear on the telephone and lighting companies
to remove all dead or unused poles and to u.se back lot lines of property
owners, instead of the streets for the erection of poles, has l)rought a
fair return, as manifested by the improved conditions.
"An ordinance was drafted and sulimitted to the Council, making
it a misdemeanor, subject to fine, to in any way danuige, treat or
remove any shade trees in the piiblic parks or highways of Klyria.
The ordinance as framed by the Chamber was pa.ssed by tlie Council
and is now in full force and effect.
"Active and continued protests against the smoke nuisance in
this city ha.s aroused the attention of the lieavy coal users toward pre;-
-OiJ '"iO
•1U8 Jfiril tl lE'^l t>J
lo n<>4-
372 inSTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
veuting tliis nuisance and definite results are apparent. All such
energy is eontrii)uting to the ultimate industrial benefit of Elyria.
"Co-operation witii tlie Home Garden Association iu having lectures
delivered has increased the planting of trees, shrul)s and flowers.
The floral display in the public park and tlie distribution of over
!),00() packets of seeds to .scliool children has instilled a greater desire
in the community to beautify Elyria.
Legislation
"To determine tlie actual ))enefits derived from the cffort.s towards
proper and effective legislation is not possible. Appeals have ))een
made to our state and national senators and representatives to have
them take, what the Chamber deemed proper action towards the enac-
tion or defeat of pending legislation.
" Conipulsoi-y education; the employment of minors; the liability
of employers; the proper dispo.sition of the proceeils. of tlie Dow liipior
tax; the prohibition of deception, misrepresentation and the nse of
false advertising and false pretenses in the procuring of employees
to work in any department of labor are a few of the many subjects of
legislation which have had the attention of the Chamber.
]\Iuxicii'AL Sanitation and Public Health
"Various cities throughout tlie United States have been aroused
by stati.sties which have revealed an alarming numl)er of defects in
the faculties of school children. Tlie Elyria Board of Education,
through the efforts of the Education Committee of the Chamber of
Commerce, had the school children physically examined by a competent
physician and plans are being formulated whereby visiting nurses
from the Elyria IMcmorial Hospital may be secured to visit the schools
and keep in touch with the children and thus prevent the disastrous
results of contagious diseases and to find out where impoverished con-
ditions exist among the school children.
"How important this care and attention is, appeals to everyone who
has any interest in the present and future welfare of our children and
city.
"Through tlie Education Committee a campaign of education along
the lines of Municipal Sanitation and Public Health was inaugurated
and this committee was successful in securing the services of ]\lr. Starr
Cadwallader, superintendent of the Health Department of Cleveland,
to deliver an address before our members upon the above subject.
HISTORY OP LORAIN COUNTY 373
Mr. Ciulwallader treatotl the questiuu of the proper disposal of waste,
the treatment of sewerage, the iiMi)ortaiiee of i)nl)lii; coUeetion of
iinvhufic. ; also the (|ue.stioii of the child and its can; in tlie scliools, (;x-
plainiijf^ liow the eliild learns by activity and not hy absorption; ree-
oniniended organized group games and play for children under a com-
petent play director. His treatment of the question of the care of
milk and meat, together with the other subjects mentioned aroused an
interest wliich has made the efforts of the Education Committee effective.
"The problem of public playgrounds and the securing of suital)le
rooms for the young men of Elyria are engrossing the attention of the
Education Committee. The character of plays and the question of tires
in tile electric theaters was investigated which resulted in the sending
liere of the .State Inspector, whose visit contributed to improved
conditions.
"An appeal was made to the local Board of Health to investigate the
condition in public laundries, with the view of preventing the transmis-
sion of disease through the contact of clothes."
The present officers of the Elyria Chamber of Commerce are : Charles
II. Savage, president ; E. J. Crisp, first vice president ; James A. Hewitt,
second vice president; C. W. Phillips, treasurer; Robert H. Rice, sec-
retary.
CHAPTER XX
CHURCHES, CHARITIES AND FRATERNITIES
Pioneer Religious Bodies — ]\Ietiiodism in P^lyria — Tue Head op the
Circuit — Becomes a Station — Permanent Chijrch Building —
New Parsonage — Pastors Who Have Served — Building of the
Present House op AVorsiiip — Present Status op the Church —
The Presbyterian Church — First Congregational Church — The
First Baptist Church — St. Andrew's Episcopal Church — St.
Mary's Church and Parish — First Resident Catholic Pastor —
Death op Rev. F. A. Sullivan — Long Pastorate op Rev. Louis
jMolox — Lesson Given to a Future Pastor — Death op Father
ScHAPPiELD — St. Agnes Parish Formed — St. John's German
Lutheran Church — Other Churches — Elyria Memorial Hospi-
tal — Grounds and Buildings — The W. N. Gates Hospital — Past,
Present and Future op the Hospital — Its Founding Dkscriued
BY the Chamber op Comjierce — The Young jMen's Christian As-
sociation — The Young AVomen's (,'iiristian Association — The
Masons and Their Temple — The ]\Lvsonic Temi-le Company —
Other Fraternities.
Tlu- spirit of ivligioji, cliurit}' aiul Ijciicvolciici' lias Ik-l-ii active and
contimioiLS in Elyria ever since it liad a history. Like all counuunities
founded essentially by New England men and women, its churches and
schools were twin-births. Remeudjering that dominant note whicli ran
through all of the pioneer settlements of the Western Reserve, and of
most of the territory northwest of the Ohio River, it is one of the remark-
able traits of American e-xpansion that tlie dividing line between the
administration of the s(;hools and the churches should have been dis-
tinctly maintained by the west,ern pioneei's in obedience to the provi-
sions of the National Constit\diop.
I'ionickr Kki>igious Boduos
The ]\Iethodists, the Baptists, the I'resbyterians and the Congrcga-
tionalists first cultivated tlu- local (ield of I'eligion, sul)staiitially in llie
374
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 375
order named. The Methodist organization has waxed particularly strong
with tlie passage of tlie years since it was formed and, witli nearly a
century Inliind it, tlie local cliurch is .still as zealous as it was in the
days of its youth. The interesting paper which follows is by its pastor,
Dr. .Samuel L. Stewart.
Methodism in Elyria
By tiamucl L. SStexvurt, D. D.
j\Iethodism began in these parts before there was any settlement of
Elyria. In 1S12 at the first meeting of the Ohio Conference a preacher,
James .Me.Malion by luime, was appointed to this territory. In all North-
east Oiiio there was no ^Methodist organization. Here and there were
JNlethotlists who had moved in from older settlements. But this preacher
with his horse and saddlebags roamed over the territory, seeking out
houses where he could preach and finding those whom he could organize
into future churches. When the first preaching by Methodists was done
in Elyria after its settlement in 1817 is impossible to determine. But in
18l'3 a class of ^Methodists was organized in a little brown schoolhouse
that once stood on what is now Cleveland Street by the pastor of the
Black River Circuit, Rev. Zarah Co.ston. It consisted of eight persons
of which Hiram Emmons was the first class leader. In 1S2G with Henry
O. Sheldon as pastor meetings were held in the old frame courthouse,
and here he organized a class with Lewis Ely as leader. These two
classes were combined and in 1827 he organized the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Elyria. In 1827 Shadrach Ruark was appointed to the Black
River Circuit and the place of meeting was changed to the "yellow
schoolhouse" that had just been built where now stands the city hall
and interurl)an station. Tliis continued to be the preaching place for
several years. Then a Presbyterian Church bought the old courthouse
and fitted it up for a "session liou.se" and permitted the ^Methodists to
occupy it for their preaching service on the Sabbath. In 1828, Ru.ssell
Bigi'low, ])erhaps the most wonderful orator of Western Methodist, be-
came the lU'csiding elder of the Portland (now Sandusky) District of
which Elyria was a part. i
First IMetiiodist Pausonaoe on the Western Reserve
III 182!), Cyrus S. Carpenter and II. Colclazer were the preachers
on Hbiek Kivcr Circuit. At the first (piart(;rly conference of this year
a restihilion was adoi)te(l declaring that "Seeing that the married preach-
ers who are sent to this circuit siilVer many inconveniences and find it
I'Bft t'^b'tO
J.l,l
376 HISTORY OK I.OItAIN COUNTY
very iiicoiiveiiieiit to ])rocurL' suitable houses for their fauiilies, tliere-
fore, a coitunittee sliali he ai)])oiutecl whidi sluill seloet u suitahh' site
and adopt Hueli iiieasuniH as sliall \h: neci'ssary 1o scuMin; the ])hici'." 'I'his
coiiunittee liavirig seieeted Klyi'ia, a suhseriplion was started aud ou
August 20, 1831, tlie deed was acknowledged to tlie plot of ground where
now stands the present parsonage. This was the iirst parsonage prop-
erty of the ^Methodist Church on the Western Reserve and is now the
oldest parsonage property of any Protestant church in Northern Ohio.
The house was soon built and so from that time there has been a .Meth-
odist preacher living almost continuously on that spot.
The Head of tiik CnjcriT
In 1831, Elyria was recognized as the head of the circuit and the
name of lilack River disappears from the minutes. On Decendjer 8,
1832, the first Sunday School was organized in connection witli the
church. In 1837, Elyria Avas made a station with one hundred members.
The "Yellow School house" proving too small, steps were now taken to
secure a church building. It was thought wi.se to erect only a temporary
structure and defray the erection of a larger and more permanent edifice
until later. Accordingly in ]\Iareh of 1838 a lease was drawn up for
town lot 159 on East Second Street signed by the trustees and .Mr.
llcman Ely. The house built here was of boards, 38x40 feet in size.
Jt was covered with clapboards, three windows on a side, two doors in
front and pulpit at the opposite end. Its entire cost was about i|;700.
Becomes a Station
"When the North Ohio Conference was organized at Norwalk in 1840,
Elyria Station was again merged into the circuit and two preachers
were appointed. But in 1843 Elyria again became a station in which
manner it continued until this day. It reported to the conference of
1844, 110 members.
Permanent CnuRcn Building
The' lease on the lot expiring in 1848 a meeting of the membership
was called to decide on building a substantial ehureli. A motion was
adopted to proceed at once to build a eliureh, under the direction of an
architect. The lot wa.s purchased and the building, a brick s1r\ieture,
40x70 was erected. It is now used ]»y the Disciple Church. Tiie esti-
mated cost was $4,000 and the total expense was not much over that sum.
■ .-!(I tyl I:
IllSTOKV OK LORAIN COUNTY 377
Tliis church was dedicated on January 21), 185], by tlic Rev. Edward
Thuiupsoii, afterwards bishop, tlieu i)rcsidt'iit of tliu Oiiio Weslcyan
University. At tliis time tlie church had 110 members, Sunday school
si-liolars, HO, ol'liccrs and teacliers, 10.
Fj-om this time tlie cliurcii made more rapid growtii. Jn 1852, there
were reported 143 full members, 25 probationers, 130 Sunday school
scholars and 11 teachers. In 185!) tlie membership reached 175 full
members, 30 probationers, 178 Sunday school scholars and 28 teachers.
In 1861 there were reported 19fj full members, 216 Sunday school
scholars, 27 otificers and teacher.s. In 1867 there were 225 full mem-
bers, 18 probationers, 265 in Sunday .school with 30 ofticers and teacher.s
with 550 books in library.
New Parson.\ge
June, 186i), at a meeting of the board it was decided tluit the old
parsonage should be sold and a new one built. It was decided to dispose
of the old house and the south part of the lot and to buikl a new hou.se
on the remaining portion of tlie lot. A committee consisting of AVilliain
Bennington, Levi ]\Iorse and J. W. Adams was appointed to complete
tlie sale. Then S. W. Baldwin, Wm. Snearer and J. W. Adams were
made a building committee anil instructed to build such a house as in
their judgment was needed. At a meeting in .March tin; committee re-
ported to the board that they had contracted with Josei)h jMcI\Ialion to
build the house comiilete for $2,500. About the first week in October
the enterprise was completed, and at a meeting of the board dated Octo-
ber 12, 1870, a vote of thanks was tendei'ed the building committee
for their efficient services.
P.vsTORS Who Have Served
The pastors of this charge from its beginning to 1870 are as follows:
1812, Trumbull Circuit, James IMcMahon ; 1813, New Connecticut, John
Colomon and Oliver Carver; 1814, New Connecticut, James ^Mc^fahon
and Lemuel Lane; 1815, Grand River, Samuel Brown;. 1816, Grand
River, Ileni-y Baker; 1817, Huron Circuit, John Brooke; 1818, Huron
Circuit, Wiliiam Westlake; 1810 and 1820, Huron (Circuit, Dennis Cod-
dard; 1H21, Huron (Circuit, I'hilip (ireeii; 1822, Nathan Walker and
John AValker; 1823, iilack River (Circuit, Zarah (Boston (organization of
class at Klyria) ; 1824, Black River Circuit, James Tayloi- — James IMc-
Mahon, presiding elder; 1825, Black River Circuit, Elijah II. Field;
182(;. Mlack ITivei- Circuit, Harry O. Sheldon (oi'gani/ation Elyria
378 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
Churcli) ; 1827-1828, Black Rivor Circuit, Shadrach Ruark; 1829, Cyrus
S. Carpenter, II. Colcliester (parsonage project started); 1830, Cyrus
Carpenter and E. C. Cavitt (parsonage completed) ; 1831, Elyria Cir- •
cuit, AVni. Runnells, (Jeorge Elliott; 1832, Win. Runneils and J. Kiu-
near (Sunday school organized) ; 1833, A. Billings, J. Brewster; 1834,
A. Billings, J. Wilkinson; 1835, J. Wheeler, Thomas BarkduU; 1836,
Elyria Circuit, in Norvvalk District, became part of the iNlichigan Con-
ference, with Samuel M. Allen and Jonothan Hudson, preachers; 1837,
Elyria Station, J. E. Chapin as preacher in charge ; 1838, John M. Gos-
horn (first temporary church built) ; 1839, James Brewster; 1840, Elyria
merged in circuit at tirst session of Nortli Ohio (Jonferenee, Jo.seph Jones,
John Brooktield; 1841, Cyrus Sawyer, Samuel Guyberson; 1842, E. C.
Gavitt, Peter Sharp; 1843, Elyria Station, Wni. Runnells, reappointed
in 1844; 1845-184G, Lorenzo Warner; 1847-1848, William Disbro; 1841),
William C. Pierce (building Second Street Church) ; 1850, M. Rowley
(dedication of church building) ; 1851, S. L. Yourtee ; 1852, W. D. God-
man; 1853, James I\l. Morrow; 1854, Uri Richards; 1855-1856, ]\1. D.
Hard (Elyria in Cleveland Distriet, 1855); 1857, Thomas BarkduU;
1858, James A. Kellam; 1859-1860, C. II. Owens; 1861, W. B. Disl)ro;
1862-1863, E. II. Bush; 1864-1865-1866, G. II. Ilartupee; 1867, J. S.
Broadwell; and 1868-1869-1870, Jaim-s A. Mudge (par.sonagc built).
In 1871, J. W. IMendenhall became the i)astor and renuiined for
two years. He left the inem))ersliip, 240, probationers, 20, Sunday
school scholars, 173.
Rev. A. J. Lyon came in 1873 and remained for three years. At
the close of his pastorate there were 223 full members, 4 probationers,
and 220 Sunday school scholars. His daugliter then a young girl is
now the wife of Bishop IMcDowell.
BuiLuiNc ov Tin-; Presknt IIousi.; of AVohsiiii'
In 1876, Isaiah II. ]\IcCoiniell was appointed pastor and in his oldest
son Prank, then a boy of six, tlie Elyria parsonage again held the future
inhabitant of an episcopal residence. Doctor McConnell remained for
three years which was then tlie limit of pastoral service. During this
time the movement for the present church was inaugurated, most of
Ihe money subscribed and the contracts let. In the sununer of 1878
al)out $12,000 having been subscribed mainly through the pastor's
efforts, E. E. Myers of Detroit, wlio drew the plans for tlie courtiiouse
then lieing built in Elyria, was emi)loyed to furnisli plans for a church
building the cost of which was not to exceed i|(l 5,000. But when the
plans were completed and the work done it was found that the entiro
\l^":■M\ ',{
HISTORY OF I. OKA IN COIJNIT HVJ
cost of the building and furniture was $20,074. From tlio first subscrip-
tion was collected $11,000. Tiie sale of tlie obi jjroperly on Second
Street realized $;j,;JOO, wliile $5,774 was subscribed on tbc day of dedica-
tion. JJoctor .MeConnell's leriu expired in September of 1871). On tlie
last week of his pastorate the contract for the new building was signed.
At tins time there were 250 mendjers of the church.
W. G. Ward then became pa.stor and remained until after tlio dedica-
tion of the church which was on the 31st of Jaiuiary, 1881, Henry B.
Ridgway, D. D., of Cincinnati having charge of the dedicatory services.
There were then 288 full members, 18 probationers, 230 Sunday school
scholars. T. C. Warner, known affectionately as "Tommy Warner,"
was pastor from 1881 to 1884. In 1884 tlie Kev. Francis S. Iloyt, 1). 1).,
became the i)residing elder of the Cleveland District and C. II. Stock-
ing was pastor at Elyria. lie remained foi- two years and a half and
was then transferred to another conference and J. S. Youmans filled
the pulpit from ]\lay until Conference of 1887. E. O. Buxton became
pastor in 1887 and remained for two years when be was transferred
to Franklin Avenue, Cleveland. In the fall of 188!) Fred A. Gould
became pastoi' and remained for four years. This was the longest
pastorate up lo this time, the time liuiit only having been clmnged to
five years in 18S8. During Doctor Gould's pastorate the parsonage
was painted iiisiile and out- and tlie church was re-frescoed and re-
carpeted. Ill the fall of 18!)2 the North Ohio Conference met in this
church with Bishop John P. Newman presiding. The conference had
])reviously been held liere in 1857 and in 1865. At the close of his pas-
torate Doctor Gould reported 408 members. lie was followed in 1893
by G. A. Keeder wlio is the first pastor to have stayed five years. During
his pastorate gracious revivals were hehl each year, one lasting for ten
weeks and having \nnny over 100 profess conversion. In 1898 he was
removed by the time limit. lie left behind him 475 full members and
17 probationers, a Sunday school with 400 members and an average
attendance of 240.
In 1898 W. C. Endly came from ]\It. Vernon where he had spent his
full five years. lie also remained in Elyria for five years. During his
jiastorate the parsonage jioreh was built and many minor repairs made
on lioth church and par.sonage. The membership grew until at the close
of his i)astorate in 1903, 610 members were reported. The Sunday school
now had an enrolment of 375 and an average attendance of 245.
Ill ]!)0.3 AVilliam C. Daw.son, D. I)., was appointed by Bishop Mc-
Cabe. Althougii his health was failing and tlnr illness which led to his
death was upon liim his four years of pastorate were marked by real
pro.spei'ity to the charge. His last Sunday was made memorable by llu'
uv/ M'lit'Milij'. hiiii V: i?>
380 HISTORY OF LOKAIN COUNTY
I't'C'option of ;i class of thirty probationers into full iiiciiilH-rsliip. Duriiifj
Ills pastorate tlic siihscripl ion was Iic},miii for tfic new Sunday si-liool
room. Doctor Dawson diid Octolicr 2\, 11)07.
l{i'V. Thomas Wallis Orusc was a))poinlc(i. to iOlyi'la at the confcri'iiL-u
of 11)07 from Wcllinj^ton whore he hail completed a live year pastorate.
At once the improvement of the church was begun. The auditorium
was given new windows which greatly increased the light of the cliurch
in daytime and new electric fixtures were installed. The auditoriiuu
was re-freseoed, carpeted and painted. A new Sunchiy school depart-
nuMit was erected, one of the largest and most convenient in tiie Con-
ference. A fine basement was provided for dining room, kitchen and
j)arlors. The cost of tliis impi'ovement was about ^2;'), ()()(). The service
of dedication was conducted ])y Hishop .Mooi'c, April 4, 1 !)(>!). in Sep-
tember of lf)Oi) tlie North Ohio ('onference met in the iOlyria Church,
BLsliop William F. Ajulerson presiding. Tiie special features were tlie
scholarly and interesting addresses by Prof, ("amden ]\1. Coburn of
Alleghenj' College. In September, li)]l, Doctor Grose was transferred
to First Church, JMansfield.
The Rev. Samuel L. Stewart, having eomi)leted a six years' pastorate
at First (yhurch, .Mansfield, was appointed to Elyria at the Conference
held in Fir.st Church, .Mansfield, by Hishop Bristol, September IS, lilll.
He preached his first sermon Septeml)er 24, 1912.
Present Status of the CiirKcn
Before his family arrived the board had decided to rel)uild tiie ])ar-
sonage. A 'temporary houu- was found for the family and the work was
given into the hands of a conunittee consisting of George II. Cliamber-
lain, R. P. Vaughn, Jenkins Edwards, ('. II. Snow, Henry Tiieman,
Charles II. Jackson and ^Villiam Biggs. Jenkins F^dwards was given
geiiei-al oversiglit of the work. The entire cost of improvement wa.s
.$4,7.'i4.00 and tiie pastor and his family occupied their new home on
February 2, 1912.
Tile iiiembersiiip of the Metiiotlist Episcopal Church of Elyria in
1015 was aliout SOO members, and the Sunday school enrolment 710,
with an additional 140 credited to tlie home department and cradle roll.
1<'||{ST CoN'OUKdATION \I, ClU'lU'll
The First Coiigregal ioiial Church of I'Myria was orgaiii/ed
under the famous "plan of union" between the Congregationalists and
the Presb^ierians, under which the internal alTairs of the church were
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 381
regulattHl by CougiTgational usages hut the churcli was under tlie care
of tile Prcshyteiy, and the ministers heh)nged to tlie Preshytery. Soon
after 1850 tlie Congregational ehurclies organized on this plan through-
out the West began to sever their eonneetion with the Presliyteries, the
chureh in Elyria doing so some time after 18GU.
The Coiigregationalists of Klyria organized in 1824, and have main-
tained ii society ever siiK.'C. Vov many years it has been one of tin;
strongest religions bodies in lOlyria and has one of the most beautiful
liomes for worshij) and for eommunion in numerous works of charity
and benevoleiiee. Through the years during which the chureh has
gi'owii from a small membership to one of nearly 600, the fol-
lowing pastors have served: Daniel W. Lathrop, 1825-30; Rev.
John J. Siiipherd (founder of Oberlin College), 1831-32; Rev. James
II. Eells, 1S34-3G; Rev. Lewis II. Loss, 1837-41; Rev. David A. Gros-
venor, 1843-52; Rev. Timothy ]M. Hopkins, 1852-54; Rev. Francis A.
Wilber, 1855-66; Rev. Fergus L. Kenyon, 1867-70; Rev. Edwin E. Wil-
liams, 1873-96; Rev. William E. Cadmus, 1807-1908, and Rev. John II.
Grant, 1908, to the present time (1916).
The massive building now oeeui)ied by the First Congregational
Chureh was edieated in 1900; it has had two predecessors, erected in
1834 and 1848, respectively.
TIk' executive body of the society comprises the following: William
II. .Searle.s, elmreh clerk; Ralph B. Fay, parish treasurer; George M.
Day, church (benevolence) treasurer; i\Irs. j\I. D. Chapman, assistant
treasurer and church visitor; Cora M. Walton, church seeretar3^ Its
present memliership is 572 and the chureh property is valued at .$85,000.
From the Dedication Souvenir of the First Congregational Church,
issued in 1900, it is evident that the Elyria organization was a pioneer
of its kind in the Western Reserve. At the time of the first settlement
in Elyria in 1817, no Congregational or Presbyterian churches, with
one or two exceptions, had been founded in that part of the reserve
lying west of the Cuyahoga River. For more than seven years mission-
aries of the Conneetieut ]\Iissionary Society ministered to the little com-
pany at l^lyria. On the 30th of October, 1822, a church was organized
in the adjoining Town.ship of Carlisle, consisting of seven members,
six of whom, and one who had been admitted, subsequently united with
the church. A consolidation of these two religious bodies was effected
Novemlier 25, 1824, iintler the name of the Presbyterian Church in
Elyria. The union of the two churches continued until August 3, 1833,
when the Carlisle members withdrew and resumed their original organi-
zation.
The copy of the reeoi'ds of this chureh, commeneiiig November 25,
.;->.T 'iin
I I'll;
382 HISTORY OV LORAIN COUNTY
1824, ai)d of tlie church at Carlisle, coininciieiiig October 29, 1822, cease
wilh tlic meeting of Sei)teinber 4, 1880. It is a inoiniiiieiit to the pains-
tiikiiig devotion of lie inan VAy, and only ceased when his healtli wouhl
no longer sustain him in such labors.
Second Congregational Church
A Second Congregational Church was organized in 1897, and erected
its house of worship on the west side. This now has a membership of
204 and numbers 300 families among its constituency. Its pastor is
Rev. Alfred J. Barnard, its clerk John E. Ilecock, treasurer, U. D.
Miller, superintendent of Sunday school, E. J. Taylor, and the value of
its church propei-ty, $12,000.
The First Baptist Ciu'RCIi
Toward the la.st of June, 1836, Rev. Daniel C. AVait, who had but
recently graduated at Hamilton, New York, came AYest in search of a
field for gospel labor. Arriving at Cleveland, he consulted Avith Rev.
Levi Tucker and was directed to Elyria. In July following he visited
the village and was allowed the use of the court room for a meeting of
his co-religionists. After several rather encouraging gatlierings had
been held in the courthouse, Mr. Wait's enterprise shifted to tlie old
yellow schoolhouse, then standing on the west side of the public sciuare.
On the 26th of November, 1836, the following united to form the
First Baptist Church of Elyria: Luther Ilartson, Sr., Luther Ilartson,
Jr., :\Irs. Mercy Brooks, Miss ^Margaret Wright, and Lucius and Sally
Andress. Mr. Wait continued as i)astor until June, 1837, and during
the succeeding three months the pulpit was unoccupied. Rev. j\Ir. Ilillis
assumed the pastorate in September of that year and during the fol-
lowing winter steps were taken wbicli led to tlie building of the first
church edifice in 1839. ^Mr. Hillis had, however, resigned in the spring
of 1838, and in June of that year been succeeded by Rev. Silas Tucker.
Succeeding Mr. Tucker, from November, 1840, until the fall of 1915,
were the following: Rev. Joseph Elliott, November, 1840, to :\Iarch,
1843; Rev. H. Silliman, October, 1843, to ^Nlarch, 1845; Rev. David Ber-
nard, October, 1845, to February, 1846; Rev. Daniel Eldred, :\rarcli,
1847, to June, 1849; Rev. N. S. iiuHon, Sei)lember, 1850, to July, 1S53;
Rev. Lewis Ransted, July, 1853, to June, 1854; Rev. Amasa Heath,
J\larcb, 1855, to May, 1857; Rev. 1. W. Ihiyliurst, June, 1857, to Feb-
ruary, 1867; R<;v. CJeorge E. lA'Onard, October, 1861, to l\Iarch. 1866;
Rev. IT. II. liawden, SeptendM-r, 1866, to February, 1874; Rev. M. L.
^ HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY 383
Bickford, April, 1874, to April, 1876; Rev. W. A. DePue, April, 1877,
to December, 1878; Rev. J. Cyrii.s Tlioins, September, 1885, to -May,
1888; Rev. W. A. Spinney, October, 1888, to April, 1892; Rev. E. E.
Knapp, August, 1893, to April, 1!)02; Rev. George W. Johnson, June,
1902, to November, 1915 (pastor at that date).
The edifice now occupied by the First Baptist Church was com-
pleted in 1884. The membership is 400. L. E. Sutliff is clerk and F.
I. Hubbard, treasurer of the church.
St. Andrew's Episcopal CiiURcn
St. Andrew's Church was organized in the year 1837 and the Rev.
Ansoji Clark was the first rector of tlio parisli. The services were then
held in the courthouse, a modest l)rick structure then staiuling where
the present beautiful stone ])uilding stands. In 1840 the parish ei-ected
a church building, a small frame structure, on Cheapside. During the
early years of St. Andrew's the trials were many and for several years
after the departure of Mr. Clark the church was practically closed. It
was not until the coming of Rev. B. T. Noakes, D. 1)., in 1857 that a real
revival in interest took place. IMany were added to the churcli hy bap-
tism and confirmation. A new rectory was purchased and old and stand-
ing prejudices were allayed. The Civil war, of course, brought reverses
and discouragements in the church's life. Often the church was without
a resident rector because of the absence of the rector as chaplain in the
army and because of sickness. In 1870 Doctor Noakes again assumed
the rectorate of the parisli and from that time on there has been steady
advance. It was during these years and under the direction of
Doctor Noakes that the present beautiful church and rectory were built.
There have been seventeen rectors during these eighty years of hi.story.
The present rector, Edwin B. Redhead, accepted the rectorship of the
parish September 1, 1913. W. J. Tasman is lay reader of St. Andrew's
and H. J. Eady and S. S. Rockwood, wardens. Over 350 communicants
are on the parish register and the Sunday scliool has a membersliip of 100.
St. Mauy's Ciiukcii and Parish
Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Gennany began to settle in
Elyria and the iiiunediatc c(Mintry around it about tin; year 1815. Piv-
vious lo lluit lime any Catholii; living in Elyria liad to go to Avon, or
French Creek, or LaPorte for religious Kcrviccs. In 1845 IJishop Piir-
ccll, of {^iTicinnati, made an episcopal visitation of churches and mis-
sions in Noi'thcrn Ohio, for at that time there' wa.s only one bishop I'or nil
.1 .ll
II bn«
384 IIISTORV OF LORAIN COUNTY
Oliio and tile dioci'se of Clcvi'laiid, to wliicii l"]lyriu now belongs, was not
ere(;ted until April 23, 1847.
Tliis lour ol; the sainlly and eioiinent |)relate is especially remark-
able and worthy of memory for the Catholies of Klyriu and Lorain
County, for it was on this occasion that L. C. Boynton, deputy sherilf
of Lorain County, invited the bishop to deliver a lecture iu the court-
house on any subject he might think most fitting. So pleased were the
non-Catholics with this discourse that he was asked to give them the
pleasui'e of hearing him in the Baptist Church of Elyria. This discourse
was also received with interest. There were at that time not twenty
Catholic households in Elyria and the adjacent country, and Bishop
Purcell, having comparatively few priests for his large territory, nuide
arrangements to have mass said in Elyria onee a month on week-days.
He accordingly directed the Rev. Peter McLaughlin of Cleveland, to
perform the good office for the people and to minister as best he could
to their spiritual wants. Father IMcLaughlin thus acted as pastor of
Elyria for about one year, when the bishop appointed the Rev. ]\Iaurice
Howard, who continued to visit Elyria till 184!).
From 1849 to 1851 Father DeOoesbriand, vicar general of the
Diocese of Cleveland, ami afterward bishop of Burlington, Vermont,
attended to the Catholics of Elyria, coining regularly from Cleveland.
Then for two years the Rev. William O'Connor and the Rev. Jacob
Kingeli, a iii'iest of the t'ongregation of the Precious Blood, !uade their
customary visits to Elyria in the i)erformanee of tlieir prie.stly duties.
Uj) to this time, I'^lyria was, in church language only a "station."
It had not even the tlignity of a "mission," for a "mission" is a con-
gregation with a church, but having no resident pastor, whereas a "sta-
tion" is a conuuunity of Catholics without a resident priest and with-
out a church, who .are visited by a i)riest at stated intervals and hold
services in private houses. We can readily understand why Elyria
should thus remain so long a "station," if we consider the relatively
small number of Catholics living in it and the scarcity of priests. When
Bishop Rappe came to Cleveland as its fir.st bishop, in October, 1847,
Father IMauriee Howard was the only priest stationed in Cleveland, and
Elyria was only one of many places in Northern Ohio to which he had
to give priestly attention.
I'^iRsr Rksidknt CATii()r>io Pastou
The first resident pastor of Elyria was the Rev. ]Michael Ilealy, ap-
pointed by Bishop Rappe in IMay, 1853. One year after his appoint-
ment he purchased a site on the .southwest corner of Middle Avenue and
iriSTOKY OF LORAIN COUNTY 385
Foiirtli Stivct ill cxcliaiij,'!' tor a property wliicli llic Ciitliolics of Filyi'iii
liiid pri'vioiisly scciiri'd near tlic i-onicr where now .stands tlic lieaiilil'iil
( 'oiif^ref^ulioiial (Miiircli. I''a1liei' llealy al oiiee j)ioceeded to ereeL a
frame eliurcli on tlie new site, and in the suimiier of \S7)A the modest
little structure was reaily for use and mass was no loiifjer said in private
houses.
Jii February, 185!), Father Ilealy wa.s transferred to the pastorate
of St. IMary's Church, Tiffin, Ohio, in which charge he remained for
more than forty years, until iiis death. He was suc(?eeded in Elyria liy
the Kev. Roliert A. Sidley. During his incumbency Father Sidley en-
larged the ciuirch, because of the growth of the congregation, and built
a pastoral residence on the lot ne.xt to the church on JMiddle Avenue.
This house built in 1859, at different times enlarged and remodeled,
remains today in tiie old place, rrevioiis to flie erection of tlie i)arisli-
house, the pa.stor of Elyria liveil in a reiiteil iiouse on the east side of
West Avenue, two doors south of Fourth Street. This house which
served as the home of the first pastors of Elj^ria, was afterward moved
to West River Street, where it stands today hearing the street number
117. It was Father Sidley who founded St. IMary's School, which had
its humble beginning in a room in the rear of the enlarged church.
This room he eciuipped as a classroom and confided to the care of a lay
teacher. The pastorate of Father Sidley in Elyria had lasted a little
more than four years, when in April of 18G3 he was promoted by Bishop
Rappe to the pastoi-al charge of the English speaking congregation at
Santlusky. The removal of Father Sidley was much regretted by tlu;
people of Elyria who had come to look upon him not only as a good
hard working priest, but also as a very worthy and helpful citizen whose
presence was a valuable asset to tlie community.
Death of Rev. F. A. Suf-mvax
In July, 1SG3, the Rev. Franci.s A. Sullivan siuuH-eded Father Sidley
as pastor of St. IMary's with charge of Vermillion as a mission, but his
l)astorate la.sted little more tliaii half a year. He gave tiie little strenglli
he had to his work, being a victim of lulicrculosis, and to tlie ravages
of this disease he siieeiiinlied on l'\'briiary :!, 1H()4. lie was Imni in
ii'eland, Aiigii.st 2, 1S;!7; so at the time of his death, lie was only twenty-
seven years of age. lie brgnii his sliidii'S for the jirieslhood in the
Cleveland Seminary, but al the re(|uest of Bishop [{a|)pe he spent the
last three years in the Siilpiliaii Seminary at i'aris. Jle was ordained
in Cleveland on tiie 'id of December, 1800, being on his ordination day
twenty-three years and four months old. The bishop tiien placed him
Vol. 1—25
386 HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY
as professor of philosopliy in the seminary. Tliinking that it might
benefit liis health, he later appointed him to Elyria. But nothing eonld
stay the progress of the disease. At the elose of the obsequies liis body
was buried in a vault I'cneatli the ehureli.
After the death of Fatlier Sullivan, liishop Rappe could not see his
way to fill the pastorate of Elyria, innnediately. lie tlierefore arranged
witli the clergy of his epiiicopal city and later with tlie Rev. T. F. llalley
of Norwalk to say mass in St. Mary's Church and to visit the people as
occasion demanded.
Tliis interregnum continued until Fel)ruary, 18G5, when the Rev.
Charles Criss was transferred from I'errysbiirg, Oiiio, to Klyria. From
boyhood days Fatlier Gri.ss wa.s passionately fond of music, and as a
pri